The Alewives are now trying desperately to get home. They’re re-running the same deadly gauntlet that they faced when they arrived from the open Atlantic in spring. Here, we see Herring Gulls ambushing the Alewives in the pools at the mouth of Patten Stream.

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They come to Maine then, guided by their sense of smell, and migrate up freshwater rivers and streams to ponds and lakes, where they spawn. In June, most of them try to make the dangerous return trip. They’re a form of herring that just about everything eats and/or uses. Humans eat them and use them for lobster and fish bait.

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Just a few yards into Patten Bay, the harbor seals lurk. 

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After that come the hungry striped bass, loons, ospreys, eagles, and more. (Surry, Maine)

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