In accordance with the Department of Public Health recommendations to maintain social distancing, the public viewing area at the fishway will remain closed for the 2020 spring viewing season. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to the spring of 2021 to welcome our visitors and the fish back for the annual upriver migration.
Each spring when the shadbush blooms, New Englanders have the opportunity to view an incredible natural phenomenon. American shad, sea lamprey and other anadromous (ah-nad-rah-mus) fish swim up the Connecticut River as they begin their annual spring migration. Anadromous fish are born in freshwater, mature in the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn. Driven by instinct, adult fish migrate to return to spawn in the rivers of their birth.