Weymouth’s herring run is about to get its annual spring cleaning
By Natalie Ornell
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Mar. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM
WEYMOUTH – George Loring said he’s been involved in Weymouth’s herring run since 1988. That, he points out, isn’t a very long time when you consider that herring have been swimming through Weymouth for at least 400 years.
An estimated half-million herring swam through Whitman’s Pond last year alone, Loring said.
“The herring are an indication of the health of the oceans and of the fish we eat,” he said. “A lot of birds eat the herring. The ecosystem is depending on them.
“Here in Weymouth, we’ve been very lucky, with great participation by the town and citizens to keep it (the herring run) going.”
The annual herring run cleanup will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 11, no matter what the weather is. Volunteers will meet at Herring Run Park, at the corner of Broad and Commercial streets in Lower Jackson Square.
“We’re going to make sure fish have an unobstructed passage to Whitman’s Pond,” said Loring, who organizes the cleanup.
The volunteers will remove trash and other debris, cut brush, replace fish ladders and do painting.
People interested in taking part are urged to dress for work along the river.
More than 120 volunteers turned out for last year’s cleanup, including Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Massachusetts Bass Federation members. Many parents brought their children.
Most of the volunteers were from Weymouth, but residents of Hingham, Braintree and other nearby towns also took part, Loring said.
The Weymouth herring run is among the biggest in the state.
Loring said the herring run committee and volunteers saw about 455,000 herring make it into Whitman’s Pond and its tributaries last year.
Local businesses will provide refreshments for all who volunteer.
For more information, call 781-749-0189 or email gmloring@verizon.net.
Natalie Ornell may be reached at nornell@ledger.com.