Climate Change Challenge
Freshwater ecosystem degradation; shifting distribution of native and invasive species; loss of biodiversity, habitats and native species
Project Alignment with ResilientMass Plan Priority Actions
This project addresses the following 2023 ResilientMass Plan priority actions:
- Aquatic biodiversity conservation, restore water quality and habitat connectivity in coastal streams, monitor and restore climate refugia in aquatic ecosystems
Climate Resilience Project Scope
Past ResilientMass-funded projects identified streams most likely to provide suitable habitat for native fishes as climatic conditions change. These areas, known as climate change refugia, are expected to change at a slower pace than surrounding aquaticscapes due to characteristics such as high elevation, dense tree cover, and increased groundwater inputs. However, the efficacy of refugia to promote resilience is largely dependent on their accessibility. Access to refugia is particularly important for large migratory species like sturgeon which travel hundreds of miles between the ocean and rivers during their lifetime. Refugia allow fishes to lower metabolic demands associated with migrating through warming waters thereby resulting in higher reproductive success. In FY25, MassWildlife worked with USGS, NOAA, and Normandeau Associates to document sturgeon movements in the lower Merrimack River. Historically, sturgeon reached Amoskeag Falls, located approximately 44 miles upstream of Lawrence Dam (river mile 30) which became a barrier to upstream migration once completed in 1848. Both species of sturgeon, Shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon, are listed as Endangered under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. Lack of accessibility to upstream spawning habitats is one of the threats currently faced by sturgeon in Massachusetts.
The goal of the study was to document how sturgeon approach Lawrence Dam during upstream migration, information that could be used to inform species-specific fish passage as part of the dam’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) relicensing process. The relicensing process will continue into 2026.
Metrics and Results
Process metrics: distance traveled (by tagged fish), location and distribution of observations
Number of fish tagged with JSATS and or Innovasea tags was 54, equal to 39 Shortnose Sturgeon, and 15 Atlantic Sturgeon. All tagged fishes were adults.
Duration of study: Receivers were set to collect data from spring to fall; JSATS receivers were set to ping every 10-15 seconds and will be retrieved in September/October 2025; Innovasea receivers were set to ping data every 1 minute for the first two years and every 3 years onwards for the life of the tag.
Best Practices and Lessons Learned
The FERC relicensing is very rigid in their process for adopting studies required from hydropower companies as part of their relicensing application. As such, a full sturgeon movement study was not required from Essex company even though it was identified by multiple agencies as needed to inform analysis of ongoing project effects and development of mitigation measures. NOAA, USGS, and MassWildlife stepped up to collect this information. ResilientMass funds were used to purchase JSATS tags. All other equipment was donated by partners. USGS matched ResilientMass funds with their time spent on collecting and tagging fish. NOAA matched ResilientMass costs with their time spent on project management and coordination with MassWildlife. Normandeau will be removing the receivers and evaluating the data.
Further Action
Unfortunately, a portion of the project was not completed due to staffing changes at USGS that resulted in incomplete contract execution. This portion of the project would have linked water temperature and streamflow projections for the Merrimack River to identify climate change refugia at a river reach scale. Consequently, MassWildlife applied unused funds to purchase fisheries monitoring equipment, as approved by EEA, that allows the agency to continue related investigations, including monitoring of species abundance and composition within climate change refugia. NOAA, USGS, and MassWildlife will advocate for a second year of data collection with Innovasea receivers since tags should still be “live” for another couple of years. However, funding for this has yet to be identified and obtained.