The Mattapoisett River is an
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 river in southeastern
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
The river begins at
Snipatuit Pond
Snipatuit Pond is a shallow warm water pond in Rochester, Massachusetts. The average depth is five feet and the maximum depth is six feet, except for one very small nine foot hole near the pump station on the west shore. The pond is the headwaters ...
in
Rochester
Rochester may refer to:
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Canada
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*Rochester, Kent
** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area
** History of Rochester, Kent
** HM Prison ...
and flows generally southwards through
Mattapoisett to empty into Mattapoisett Harbor, an arm of
Buzzards Bay
Buzzards Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) long by 8 miles (12 kilometers) wide. It is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and tourism. Since ...
. It flows through wetlands during much of its course.
Historically, the Mattapoisett River has yielded the bay's most abundant
herring populations. For example, town reports for 1906 recorded that the river's total catch was 626,000
alewives
The alewife (''Alosa pseudoharengus'') is an anadromous species of herring found in North America. It is one of the "typical" North American shads, attributed to the subgenus ''Pomolobus'' of the genus ''Alosa''. As an adult it is a marine spe ...
, and a further 465,000 alewives were noted in the 1907 report. In the referenced 1920s report the river served for "flooding cranberry bogs and for mill purposes" and featured three herring
weir
A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...
s; the "Upper Herring Weir" in Rochester, the "Middle Weir" or "Church's Weir", and the "Lower Herring Weir" at the entrance to Mattapoisett Harbor.
Fish populations drastically declined during the twentieth century until they were almost extinguished, but local restoration efforts from the 1980s onwards have fostered a slow recovery. The principal restoration tactic has been to remove snags and other obstacles from the river that serve to impede fish migrations. The Lower Herring Weir is one of the few rivers emptying into Buzzards Bay that has electronic fish counters installed. Reports fro
Alewives Anonymousdocumented in the more recent Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program report show that the improvements peaked in 2000 with over 130,000, but dropped off again and have been below 20,000 since 2003.
Older residents refer to the Mattapoisett River as "the Herring Run", and a highway sign where the river flows under
US Route 6
U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast from Bishop, California, to ...
once identified the river by this ''unofficial'' name.
Since 1934, the river has been the venue for the Annual Rochester to Mattapoisett Memorial Day Boat Race.
References
Buzzards Bay National Estuary ProgramEnvironmental Protection Agency- David L. Belding. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Conservation, Division of Fisheries and Game. 1920
- Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program
External links
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Rivers of Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Rochester, Massachusetts
Rivers of Massachusetts