Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is looking for volunteers for its annual alewife count. Kathy Gravino

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is looking for volunteers to count fish that successfully make it over the fish ladder at Nequasset Lake in Woolwich through early June.

Counting can be done by children and adults, and no prior experience is necessary.

Each fish counter signs up for a two-hour block and counts fish for two 10-minute periods in that block.  Counting takes place between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily.

Alewives — a type of herring — are an important part of the food chain in the Gulf of Maine, according to the land trust. They feed fish like cod and striped bass, and birds of prey depend on the alewife migration for a source of spring food. They are a valued bait fish for Maine’s lobster industry.

Fish counting helps to evaluate if there are enough fish entering the lake to reproduce to sustain a healthy alewife run and harvest in the future.

Sign up for a count at kennebecestuary.org/fish-counting. Those with questions regarding the Nequasset alewife count should contact Ruth Indrick at the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust at rindrick@kennebecestuary.org or (207) 442-8400.

Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is looking for volunteers for its annual alewife count. Kathy Gravino