BDN: New fishway with expanded public park will replace Down East dam
May 28, 2026
The Cherryfield dam, built in the village in 1961 to keep ice from flooding downtown, is one of several Maine dams that is slated for removal or under consideration for removal.
The dam will be replaced with a natural-style fishway that will allow multiple fish species — such as alewives, blueback herring, Eastern Brook trout and endangered Atlantic salmon — to migrate upstream using various pathways that replicate natural river conditions.
In addition to reconfiguring the water flow, the project will improve public access to the Narraguagus River, including updates to nearby Cable Pool Park, which will receive a new play area, amphitheater, gazebo, restrooms and a floating dock for boating and swimming.
Local environmental groups have collaborated with town officials and residents for more than a decade to remove the dam. In 2024, the town voted to replace the dam with a fishway.
“Cherryfield is a town with a really strong connection to the river,” according to Jacob van de Sande, associate land protection director for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. “The history of the river and the community are just so tied together.”