Conservationists are celebrating the announcement from NB Power of the closure of the Milltown Dam.
By shutting down the hydroelectric dam, which runs along the St. Croix River, Atlantic marine biologists believe the local ecosystem and wildlife will be further restored.
Many organizations have been involved in conservation efforts along the St. Croix River, or Skutik River, for many years. But Matt Abbott says the Passamaquoddy Nation is particularly deserving of praise for its tireless work.
“They have been leaders of this restoration effort,” said Abbott, the Fundy Baykeeper and marine program director with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
“They’ve got staff in the field year-round restoring the river on both sides,” he said.
Abbott says there has been a lot of progress in restoring wildlife to the area over the past several years, and the closure of the dam will add to those efforts.
“By removing the dam and returning the river to its natural state, it really provides a great deal more opportunity for restoration of the river,” Abbott said.
In 2002, Abbott says the river had reached a low of just 900 fish making the annual spring migration. Over the past few years, conservationists have increased that number to approximately half a million fish.
The hope is that the closure of the Milltown Dam will allow wildlife levels to return to historic highs.
“It’s nice to talk about a half million fish, but I’m really excited to start about one million fish, three million fish, five million fish, even 10 million fish,” Abbott said.
