Dana Dam Down, 10 River Miles of Habitat Reconnected

Dana Dam (also known as Strong Pond Dam) in Wilton, CT was built by Charles Dana in the early 1940s to create an ice-skating and swimming pond for his grandchildren. While trying to connect his family with the Norwalk River in this way seemed harmless—even laudatory—at that time, unintended consequences soon followed. The dam, sitting […]

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How Nico Takes on “Actionable Research” for Fisheries

Each year, Save the Sound hires a seasonal fisheries technician to help our ecological restoration team monitor our fish traps in Connecticut rivers. The effort helps us understand the health of the spring fish run and its comeback, specifically on the West River in New Haven after our removal of Pond Lily Dam in 2016. […]

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Fish Die Offs: What You Need to Know

From a distance, they could easily be mistaken for discarded trash bobbing on the surface of the water. When you get closer, though, and get a better look, you realize what you’re looking at: dead fish, often Atlantic menhaden (aka bunker). It can be a troubling sight, for sure, especially when it’s more than a […]

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The Disappearing Fish

You might think you’ve heard this one before — a story of the fish that got away.   But trust us, you haven’t.  Of course, that’s what every fish tale spinner would have you believe. They lure you with details of the setting, hook you with the stakes of the struggle, and then reel you […]

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Press Release: Hydroland fails to act, 2021 fish run fails at Kinneytown Dam

Seymour, CT – Extensive photographic and video documentation gathered this spring by environmental organizations Save the Sound and the Naugatuck River Revival Group (NRRG), coupled with annual fish counts from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP), have demonstrated that sea-run migratory fish trying to ascend the Naugatuck River to spawn were once […]

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PRESS RELEASE: Reopen after 323 years—Save the Sound completes North Branford fishway

Save the Sound and project partners cut the ribbon and lifted the gate Monday on a new fishway at Pages Millpond dam, the site of an old mill dating back to 1697.

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2019 Year in Review: The Difference We’re Making Together

There’s one great truth about our environment: it’s all connected. Streams flow from forested hills to rivers to our drinking water reservoirs or our beaches. Winds blow clean air or smog through our neighborhoods. Fish swim from the Atlantic, through Long Island Sound, and upstream to local ponds to start their life cycles anew. And […]

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Fridays in the Field: Getting to Know the Sea Lamprey

Today’s guest post comes from Hillary Ballek, field scientist at CFE/Save the Sound. Hillary monitors dam removal sites within Connecticut to assess biological health of streams and wetland areas. The sea lamprey is an anadromous species of fish native to the Connecticut River, migrating from the ocean to fresh water streams to spawn during the […]

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