WHEREAS, alewives play a vital role in Maine’s ecology, economy and cultural heritage; and

WHEREAS, through their annual migration, alewives tie our ocean, rivers and lakes together, providing vital nutrients and forage needed for a wide variety of fish, birds and mammals in these ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, there is a long history of Maine people harvesting alewives, beginning with the Wabanaki Tribes and continuing to this day, and the traditions of dipping and smoking alewives are kept alive and still taught to younger generations Downeast; and

WHEREAS, while alewives have long served as a source of food, today they are also a seasonal source of lobster bait, providing income for towns with harvest rights and helping meet the ongoing bait needs of the lobster fishery; and

WHEREAS, because of the efforts of the Department of Marine Resources, nonprofit organizations, tribes, towns and individuals across Maine, the alewife population has rebounded dramatically in recent years thanks to dam removal and waterway restoration, ensuring this crucial species remains widespread for the people and animals that rely on it; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with 1 MRSA §150-T, the State of Maine designates the Saturday before Memorial Day each year as Maine Alewife Day;

NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim May 23, 2026 as

Maine Alewife Day

and I urge the people of Maine to observe this day in suitable places with appropriate activity.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this seventh day of May Two Thousand Twenty-Six