Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program:
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Efforts to restore Alewife populations on the Atlantic coast have increased in recent years. However, freshwater habitats, specifically lakes and ponds, have altered food web structures and dynamics reflecting the long period of anadromous Alewives’ absence. Restoration of anadromous populations may alter the lake and pond ecosystem dynamics, resulting in possible positive and negative effects on other food web components, including important recreational fisheries.