By: Martianne Stanger
Every year around this time, my children and I enjoy a phenomenon that New Englanders have marveled at for centuries – the annual herring migration.
When we see birds flocking to Oliver Mill Park off Route 44 in Middleboro, we know that the herring are running. So, we make an impromptu stop to enjoy the annual spectacle there.
Soon after that, we head over to the Wareham Street Herring Run across from the Middleboro DPW to witness teems of fish swarming up the ladder there. The children squeal with delight as the silver fish fight their way up stream.
Every year, we also enjoy a home school field trip to the Cape Cod Canal Herring Run, where Ranger Sam offers an awesome program, complete with educational chat, a walk along the run, a raucous herring predators tag game and, when we are lucky, an opportunity to get up close and personal with a live, temporarily caught, herring.
This year, I hear that the Canal Rangers are running a free program open to public similar to the Herring Run field trip we enjoy so much. The event is this Saturday, April 27th, at 10 a.m. at the Herring Run Recreation Area Information Building at 830 Scenic Highway, Bournedale, MA. I encourage you to go check it out.
If you’d rather see the herring elsewhere, check out the Guide to Viewing River Herring in Coastal Massachusetts to find a location near you where the herring are running now through May.
Community Voices for Health 