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March 30, 2000 - Alewives on the run1, " + The, Si tffolk,Times • March 30. 2000, Alewives on the run Fish face tough challenges in annual spawning migration We're experiencing one of nature's great migrations right now in the Peconic River, in the heart of River- head. It's the spawning run of alewives that each year return from the sea to find their way from salt water to the fresh water, where the magic FOCUS of reproduction takes place in ON the quiet waters NATURE upstream. I've not seen by Paul this event here Stoutenburgh on the North Fork but Barbara and I have wit- nessed it on the south side. There, only a few steps out of your car and you're at the edge of a small sandy stream up which these members of the herring family migrate to spawn each year. We could plainly see the alewives swimming upstream, resting in small eddies, and then continuing their an- cient ritual up and over any and all obstacles that got in their way. This dash over small waterfalls and ob- structions was not as spectacular as the salmon we watched in Alaska and have seen so often on TV, but never- theless their determination was just as intense. Unlike the salmon who die after spawning has been completed, most of the alewives will make their way back to the sea. We followed the little stream as it went under the busy highway. Our champions paid little attention to the dark, narrow tunnel they had to pass through. They were heading for the headwaters where they were born and nothing could stop them. The techni- cal name for fish that return from the sea to spawn in fresh water is anadro- mous. Each of the many small streams or even larger rivers has its own par- ticular population that finds its way back each year by the characteristic odor of their own waterway. These silvery migrants average about 11 inches in length and look like the typical herring. Last week we went to the spillway in Grangebel Park in Riverhead to see firsthand this annual event, only to be disappointed in not seeing any fish at all. We did meet an old friend, Bob Conklin, who is one of many concerned about the eventual fate of the alewives. The rea- son he and so many others are con- cerned about these "threatened" fish is that man has restricted their migra- tion routes in most of our freshwater streams and rivers by building dams and other obstacles in their way. These obstacles, and the added prob- lem of pollution of our waterways, gives little hope for the future of these gallant migrants. The Grangebel Park dam is typical of the prob- lems. The fish can't make it up the verti- cal drop of the exist- ing dam. All the fish can do is hope some- one will scoop them up and pass them up and over the dam so they can continue their journey upstream to spawn. This very act of passing along some returning fish is the only hope of continu- ing the ancient process of spawning. Yet there is some hope, and it comes in two different ways. The first comes from an old friend of the dam, Willett Childress, who through the years has netted some of the alewives at the bottom of the dam and passed them up and over the spillway to freedom. For a few years he had the help of some high school students who worked with him. Of course, he also gets a chance to take some for his own use. The other way that the alewives might be saved is the newly installed fish ladder that, when perfected, will let the fish migrate up the ladder, therefore bypassing the insurmount- able dam. This newly fabricated alu- minum fish ladder is the result of many concerned individuals and busi- nesses who contributed their money, trip we saw the underwater camera set up by the Cornell Cooperative Extension people in action. Willie even offered three of his catch so that we could try them for dinner. It also provided me an opportunity to photo- graph them for the record. As mentioned earlier, man's ob- structions and pollution have gravely hampered the spawning of these filter - feeding alewives. A typical example of this here on the North Fork is at Hallocks Pond off Iron Pier in Jamesport. This was the only inlet at one time on the north shore that led to a freshwater pond and to where alewives went to spawn. Today Hal - locks Pond is still there but the outlet has been lost to a parking lot and the littoral drift of sand along the Sound beach. I remember Bill Jackowski of Mattituck telling me that when he was a boy alewives were always caught there. Another spot that I've mentioned before is the little stream that leads from Silver Lake in Greenport out through Moores Woods, south under the Main Road by the information building and on out into Pipes Cove between Shelter Island and Greenport. The only evi- dence I have found that alewives ever spawned there was back in 1970. At that time I found a dead alewife halfway up the stream in Moores Woods. I believe it was trying to reach its ancestral spawning ground. As in the Peconic River and at Iron Pier, man has created obstacles and added pollution that keep these migrants from the sea from completing their annual mission of spawning. What a glorious project it would be if enough energy and money could be put toward revitalizing these ancient waterways to the alewives' spawning grounds. As you remember, I spoke of Willie giving us three fish to try for dinner. I took them home and scaled and fillet- ed them. It was here I noticed the large iridescent scales that in the early 1940s were used to make imitation pearls, but that art was lost to modern technology. We cooked our fillets fol- lowing Willie's directions: "Coat 'em with corn meal, pepper and salt, and fry 'em in Wesson oil." They were deli- cious, provided you were skillful enough to eat around the many thread -like bones. So here we have a fish that is not only good to eat but also supplies food for the osprey and many other predators such as striped bass, weakfish, etc., who depend on them for the part they play in the food chain. Surely it is a fish deserving of our attention and concern. Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh Each spring alewives leave the salt water to make their way up fresh- water streams and rivers to spawn. At Grangebel Park at the mouth of the Peconic River you can still see remnants of this ancient ritual being carried out. Fishermen with nets take their share when the run is on. L.iIQ a 42 60 VWr% OH%.*F% 75 years ago March 27, 1925 Bank buys property for new building: Due to the rapid- ly increasing banking business of the Southold Savings Bank, the officials of the institution have decided that a larger building is necessary. The Southold Savings Bank was opened for business on July 5,1858, with 13 accounts totaling a little over 200 dollars. The institution has grown until today it is one of the strongest and best -known sav- ings banks in the state. In order to provide for the future growth of the institu- tion the bank has purchased the property on which the Southold Hotel is located from the owner, Theodore Hoinkis. This property, which is 168 feet wide and 220 feet deep, located on Main Street and Railroad Avenue, Southold, is one of the most desirable business locations in the village. It is reported that the price paid for the property was 17 thousand dollars. 50 years ago March 24, 1950 She got her man: A young bandit in Canada pushed the woman in charge of a restaurant into a small enclo- sure and slammed the door. Then he proceeded to rob the till. Before he could make his getaway the police arrived. He had put her in a telephone booth. Can you believe It ?: William Hill is quite a man. He time and effort to make the project a success. Technical and legal advice, along with an underwater camera for monitoring the fish, is being provided by the DEC and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Our second and third trip to Grangebel Park were much more rewarding than our first. We actually saw alewives being caught by Willie and passed over the dam. On our last told police that when he couldn't get his overcoat on, he looked to see why and there was an ice pick sticking right out of his chest. He remembered having a fight with sev- eral men the night before but he didn't remember how that ice pick got there. He pulled it out and walked next door, where he sum- moned an ambulance. Doctors who treated the wound near his left collarbone said he would be all right. — Winston- Salem, N.C. 25 years ago March 27, 1975 Marine center gets go- ahead: The Marine Science Technical Center Suffolk County Community College has planned for Southold's Cedar Beach since 1969 as another extension of its Selden campus is finally going to get off the ground. With approval by the county legislature on Tuesday of a $260,000 serial bond issue as part of the $550,000 capi- tal appropriation to finance the project, ground- breaking is expected within two months. Ferry meeting planned: A special Greenport Village Board meeting, open to the public, has been called by Mayor Joseph Townsend Jr. for next Monday at 7 p.m. at Village Hall. The Greenport Trustees plan to act on a res- olution, either favoring or disapproving inauguration of ferry service between Greenport and Connecticut. • ThP'S`(Jf(31k Titres • Mar6h'30. 2000 Alewives on the run' Fish face tough challenges in annual, we rc experiencing one of nature's great migrations right now in the Peconic River, in the heart of River- head. It's the spawning run of alewive; that each year return from the sea to find their way from salt water to the fresh water, where the magic Focus of reproduction takes place in ON the quiet waters NATURE upstream. I've not seen by Paul this event here StoutenbuMh on the North Fork but Barbara and I have wit- nessed it on the south. side. There, only a few steps out of your car and you're at the edge of a small sandy stream up which these members of the herring family migrate to spawn each year. We could plainly see the alewives swimming upstream, resting in small eddies, and then continuing their an- cient ritual up and over any and all obstacles that got in their way. This dash over small waterfalls and ob- structions was not as spectacular as the salmon we watched in Alaska and have seen so often on TV, but never- theless their determination was just as intense. Unlike the salmon who die after spawning has been completed, most of the alewives will make their way back to the sea. We followed the little stream as it went under the busy highway. Our champions paid little attention to the dark, narrow tunnel they had to pass through. They were heading for the headwaters where they were born and nothing could stop them. The techni- cal name for fish that return from the sea to spawn in fresh water is anadro- mous. Each of the many small streams or even larger rivers has its own par- ticular population that finds its way back each year by the characteristic odor of their own waterway. These silvery migrants average about 11 inches in length and look like the typical herring. Last week we pawning migration Each spring alewives leave the salt waterkto make their f waysupt fresh- water streams and rivers to spawn. At Grangebel Park at the mouth of the Peconic River you can still see remnants of this ancient ritual being carried out. Fishermen with nets take their share when the run Is on. went to the spillway in Grangebel Park in Riverhead to see firsthand thii annual event, only to be disappointed in not seeing any fish at all. We did meet an old friend, Bob Conklin, who is one of many concerned about the eventual fate of the alewives. The rea- son he and so many others are con- cerned about these "threatened" fish is that man has restricted their migra- tion routes in most of our freshwater streams and rivers by building dams and other obstacles in their way. These obstacles, and the added prob- lem of pollution of our waterways, gives little hope for the future of these gallant migrants. The Grangebel Park dam is typical of the prob- lems. The fish can't make it up the verti- cal drop of the exist- ing dam. All the fish can do is hope some- one will scoop them t up and pass them up s and over the dam so they can continue e their journey upstream to spawn. This very act of g passing along some returning fish is the s only hope of continu- h ing the ancient process of spawning. Yet there is some hope, and it comes in two different ways. The first comes from an old friend of the dam, Willett Childress, who through the years has netted some of the alewives at the bottom of the dam and passed them up and over the spillway to freedom. For a few years he had the help of some high school students who worked with him. Of course, he also gets a chance to take some for his own use. The other way that the alewives might be saved is the newly installed fish ladder that, when perfected, will let the fish migrate up the ladder, therefore bypassing the insurmount- able dam. This newly fabricated alu- minum fish ladder is the result of many concerned individuals and busi- nesses wh contributed their money, time and effort to make the project a success. Technical and legal advice, along with an underwater camera for monitoring the fish, is being provided by the DEC and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Our second and third trip to Grangebel Park were much more rewarding than our first. We actually saw alewives being caught by Willie and passed over the dam. On our last rip we saw the underwater camera et up by the Cornell Cooperative Extension people in action. Willie ven offered three of his catch so that V could try them for dinner. It also P me an opportunity to photo - raph them for the record. As mentioned earlier, man's ob- tructions and pollution have gravely ampered the s awning of these filter - feeding alewives. A typical example of this here on the North Fork is at Hallocks Pond off Iron Pier in Jamesport. This was the only inlet at one time on the north shore that led to a freshwater pond and to where alewives went to spawn. Today Hal - locks Pond is still there but the outlet has been lost to a parking lot and the littoral drift of sand along the Sound beach. I remember Bill Jackowski of Mattituck telling in that when he was a boy alewives were always caught there Another spot tha I've mentioned before is the little stream that leads from Silver Lake in Greenport out through Moores Woods, south under the Main Road by the information building and on out into Pipes Cove between Shelter Island and Greenport. The only evi- dence I have found that alewives ever spawned there was back in 1970. At that time I found a dead alewife halfway up the stream in Moores Woods. I believe it was trying to reach its ancestral spawning ground. As in the Peconic River and at Iron Pier, man has created obstacles and added pollution that keep these migrants from the sea from completing their annual mission of spawning. What a glorious project it would be if enough energy and money could be put toward revitalizing these ancient waterways to the alewives' spawning grounds. As you remember, I spoke of Willie giving us three fish to try for dinner. I took them home and scaled and fillet- ed them. It was here I noticed the large iridescent scales that in the early 1940s were used to make imitation pearls, but that art was lost to modern technology. We cooked our fillets fol- lowing Willie's directions: "Coat 'em with corn meal, pepper and salt, and fry 'em in Wesson oil." They were deli- cious, provided you were skillful enough to eat around the many thread -like bones. So here we have a fish that is not only good to eat but also supplies food for the osprey and many other predators such as striped bass, weakfish, etc., who depend on them for the part they play in the food chain. Surely it is a fish deserving of our attentinn nnei rnnrarn • ThP'S`(Jf(31k Titres • Mar6h'30. 2000 Alewives on the run' Fish face tough challenges in annual, we rc experiencing one of nature's great migrations right now in the Peconic River, in the heart of River- head. It's the spawning run of alewive; that each year return from the sea to find their way from salt water to the fresh water, where the magic Focus of reproduction takes place in ON the quiet waters NATURE upstream. I've not seen by Paul this event here StoutenbuMh on the North Fork but Barbara and I have wit- nessed it on the south. side. There, only a few steps out of your car and you're at the edge of a small sandy stream up which these members of the herring family migrate to spawn each year. We could plainly see the alewives swimming upstream, resting in small eddies, and then continuing their an- cient ritual up and over any and all obstacles that got in their way. This dash over small waterfalls and ob- structions was not as spectacular as the salmon we watched in Alaska and have seen so often on TV, but never- theless their determination was just as intense. Unlike the salmon who die after spawning has been completed, most of the alewives will make their way back to the sea. We followed the little stream as it went under the busy highway. Our champions paid little attention to the dark, narrow tunnel they had to pass through. They were heading for the headwaters where they were born and nothing could stop them. The techni- cal name for fish that return from the sea to spawn in fresh water is anadro- mous. Each of the many small streams or even larger rivers has its own par- ticular population that finds its way back each year by the characteristic odor of their own waterway. These silvery migrants average about 11 inches in length and look like the typical herring. Last week we pawning migration Each spring alewives leave the salt waterkto make their f waysupt fresh- water streams and rivers to spawn. At Grangebel Park at the mouth of the Peconic River you can still see remnants of this ancient ritual being carried out. Fishermen with nets take their share when the run Is on. went to the spillway in Grangebel Park in Riverhead to see firsthand thii annual event, only to be disappointed in not seeing any fish at all. We did meet an old friend, Bob Conklin, who is one of many concerned about the eventual fate of the alewives. The rea- son he and so many others are con- cerned about these "threatened" fish is that man has restricted their migra- tion routes in most of our freshwater streams and rivers by building dams and other obstacles in their way. These obstacles, and the added prob- lem of pollution of our waterways, gives little hope for the future of these gallant migrants. The Grangebel Park dam is typical of the prob- lems. The fish can't make it up the verti- cal drop of the exist- ing dam. All the fish can do is hope some- one will scoop them t up and pass them up s and over the dam so they can continue e their journey upstream to spawn. This very act of g passing along some returning fish is the s only hope of continu- h ing the ancient process of spawning. Yet there is some hope, and it comes in two different ways. The first comes from an old friend of the dam, Willett Childress, who through the years has netted some of the alewives at the bottom of the dam and passed them up and over the spillway to freedom. For a few years he had the help of some high school students who worked with him. Of course, he also gets a chance to take some for his own use. The other way that the alewives might be saved is the newly installed fish ladder that, when perfected, will let the fish migrate up the ladder, therefore bypassing the insurmount- able dam. This newly fabricated alu- minum fish ladder is the result of many concerned individuals and busi- nesses wh contributed their money, time and effort to make the project a success. Technical and legal advice, along with an underwater camera for monitoring the fish, is being provided by the DEC and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Our second and third trip to Grangebel Park were much more rewarding than our first. We actually saw alewives being caught by Willie and passed over the dam. On our last rip we saw the underwater camera et up by the Cornell Cooperative Extension people in action. Willie ven offered three of his catch so that V could try them for dinner. It also P me an opportunity to photo - raph them for the record. As mentioned earlier, man's ob- tructions and pollution have gravely ampered the s awning of these filter - feeding alewives. A typical example of this here on the North Fork is at Hallocks Pond off Iron Pier in Jamesport. This was the only inlet at one time on the north shore that led to a freshwater pond and to where alewives went to spawn. Today Hal - locks Pond is still there but the outlet has been lost to a parking lot and the littoral drift of sand along the Sound beach. I remember Bill Jackowski of Mattituck telling in that when he was a boy alewives were always caught there Another spot tha I've mentioned before is the little stream that leads from Silver Lake in Greenport out through Moores Woods, south under the Main Road by the information building and on out into Pipes Cove between Shelter Island and Greenport. The only evi- dence I have found that alewives ever spawned there was back in 1970. At that time I found a dead alewife halfway up the stream in Moores Woods. I believe it was trying to reach its ancestral spawning ground. As in the Peconic River and at Iron Pier, man has created obstacles and added pollution that keep these migrants from the sea from completing their annual mission of spawning. What a glorious project it would be if enough energy and money could be put toward revitalizing these ancient waterways to the alewives' spawning grounds. As you remember, I spoke of Willie giving us three fish to try for dinner. I took them home and scaled and fillet- ed them. It was here I noticed the large iridescent scales that in the early 1940s were used to make imitation pearls, but that art was lost to modern technology. We cooked our fillets fol- lowing Willie's directions: "Coat 'em with corn meal, pepper and salt, and fry 'em in Wesson oil." They were deli- cious, provided you were skillful enough to eat around the many thread -like bones. So here we have a fish that is not only good to eat but also supplies food for the osprey and many other predators such as striped bass, weakfish, etc., who depend on them for the part they play in the food chain. Surely it is a fish deserving of our attentinn nnei rnnrarn • ThP'S`(Jf(31k Titres • Mar6h'30. 2000 Alewives on the run' Fish face tough challenges in annual, we rc experiencing one of nature's great migrations right now in the Peconic River, in the heart of River- head. It's the spawning run of alewive; that each year return from the sea to find their way from salt water to the fresh water, where the magic Focus of reproduction takes place in ON the quiet waters NATURE upstream. I've not seen by Paul this event here StoutenbuMh on the North Fork but Barbara and I have wit- nessed it on the south. side. There, only a few steps out of your car and you're at the edge of a small sandy stream up which these members of the herring family migrate to spawn each year. We could plainly see the alewives swimming upstream, resting in small eddies, and then continuing their an- cient ritual up and over any and all obstacles that got in their way. This dash over small waterfalls and ob- structions was not as spectacular as the salmon we watched in Alaska and have seen so often on TV, but never- theless their determination was just as intense. Unlike the salmon who die after spawning has been completed, most of the alewives will make their way back to the sea. We followed the little stream as it went under the busy highway. Our champions paid little attention to the dark, narrow tunnel they had to pass through. They were heading for the headwaters where they were born and nothing could stop them. The techni- cal name for fish that return from the sea to spawn in fresh water is anadro- mous. Each of the many small streams or even larger rivers has its own par- ticular population that finds its way back each year by the characteristic odor of their own waterway. These silvery migrants average about 11 inches in length and look like the typical herring. Last week we pawning migration Each spring alewives leave the salt waterkto make their f waysupt fresh- water streams and rivers to spawn. At Grangebel Park at the mouth of the Peconic River you can still see remnants of this ancient ritual being carried out. Fishermen with nets take their share when the run Is on. went to the spillway in Grangebel Park in Riverhead to see firsthand thii annual event, only to be disappointed in not seeing any fish at all. We did meet an old friend, Bob Conklin, who is one of many concerned about the eventual fate of the alewives. The rea- son he and so many others are con- cerned about these "threatened" fish is that man has restricted their migra- tion routes in most of our freshwater streams and rivers by building dams and other obstacles in their way. These obstacles, and the added prob- lem of pollution of our waterways, gives little hope for the future of these gallant migrants. The Grangebel Park dam is typical of the prob- lems. The fish can't make it up the verti- cal drop of the exist- ing dam. All the fish can do is hope some- one will scoop them t up and pass them up s and over the dam so they can continue e their journey upstream to spawn. This very act of g passing along some returning fish is the s only hope of continu- h ing the ancient process of spawning. Yet there is some hope, and it comes in two different ways. The first comes from an old friend of the dam, Willett Childress, who through the years has netted some of the alewives at the bottom of the dam and passed them up and over the spillway to freedom. For a few years he had the help of some high school students who worked with him. Of course, he also gets a chance to take some for his own use. The other way that the alewives might be saved is the newly installed fish ladder that, when perfected, will let the fish migrate up the ladder, therefore bypassing the insurmount- able dam. This newly fabricated alu- minum fish ladder is the result of many concerned individuals and busi- nesses wh contributed their money, time and effort to make the project a success. Technical and legal advice, along with an underwater camera for monitoring the fish, is being provided by the DEC and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Our second and third trip to Grangebel Park were much more rewarding than our first. We actually saw alewives being caught by Willie and passed over the dam. On our last rip we saw the underwater camera et up by the Cornell Cooperative Extension people in action. Willie ven offered three of his catch so that V could try them for dinner. It also P me an opportunity to photo - raph them for the record. As mentioned earlier, man's ob- tructions and pollution have gravely ampered the s awning of these filter - feeding alewives. A typical example of this here on the North Fork is at Hallocks Pond off Iron Pier in Jamesport. This was the only inlet at one time on the north shore that led to a freshwater pond and to where alewives went to spawn. Today Hal - locks Pond is still there but the outlet has been lost to a parking lot and the littoral drift of sand along the Sound beach. I remember Bill Jackowski of Mattituck telling in that when he was a boy alewives were always caught there Another spot tha I've mentioned before is the little stream that leads from Silver Lake in Greenport out through Moores Woods, south under the Main Road by the information building and on out into Pipes Cove between Shelter Island and Greenport. The only evi- dence I have found that alewives ever spawned there was back in 1970. At that time I found a dead alewife halfway up the stream in Moores Woods. I believe it was trying to reach its ancestral spawning ground. As in the Peconic River and at Iron Pier, man has created obstacles and added pollution that keep these migrants from the sea from completing their annual mission of spawning. What a glorious project it would be if enough energy and money could be put toward revitalizing these ancient waterways to the alewives' spawning grounds. As you remember, I spoke of Willie giving us three fish to try for dinner. I took them home and scaled and fillet- ed them. It was here I noticed the large iridescent scales that in the early 1940s were used to make imitation pearls, but that art was lost to modern technology. We cooked our fillets fol- lowing Willie's directions: "Coat 'em with corn meal, pepper and salt, and fry 'em in Wesson oil." They were deli- cious, provided you were skillful enough to eat around the many thread -like bones. So here we have a fish that is not only good to eat but also supplies food for the osprey and many other predators such as striped bass, weakfish, etc., who depend on them for the part they play in the food chain. Surely it is a fish deserving of our attentinn nnei rnnrarn