Eels hit Saybrook river just in time for 'eel-evator' ceremony

• The Oyster River and its tributary, the Fishing or Ingham Hill Brook, have seen more little elvers — baby eels, about 2 inches long — than have been counted in the mighty Connecticut, just to the east. The eel ladder is lined with mesh to help the wrigglers (young eels) get up the dam, but they actually end up in a bucket, Fish said. That way they can be counted and then poured over the dam.
• The fishways that have been built along numerous coastal rivers in order to help fish get over dams have been very successful, Fish said. The one at Fishing Brook is the second in town. "The first fishway that we put together was at Chalker Mill Pond" in 2000, he said.
• The land trust now is setting about planning a third, also on Fishing Brook, which will help the eels and other fish get all the way to Crystal Lake, "in order to open up all the spawning grounds up in the northwest part of town," Fish said.
• From the LISS: The Old Saybrook Land Trust will repair the Ingham Hill Pond Dam and install a fishway pass unit. The project will provide a path for migrating Atlantic salmon, alewife, blueback herring and brown trout in a watershed which is currently being considered for designation as a Federal Wild and Scenic River. Additionally, Lake Rockview will be open to recreational fishing and an outdoor education program will be established through the Old Saybrook Parks and Recreation Department. (Ed Stannard)