Our Mission
River Herring Collective
Blueback herring and alewives, collectively known as river herring, are critically important to the ecosystem of the Atlantic coast. River herring spend most of their lives at sea before returning to their birthplaces in freshwater rivers and streams to spawn. But the fish are in trouble: numbers of river herring along the Atlantic coast have decreased over 90% since the 1970s, as the effects of overfishing and artificial dams decimate the population.
We were founded in 2010 as the Saugatucket River Herring Association by Former Director Bill Mcwha to combat this dramatic decline. Now known as the River Herring Collective, we are a community based collective dedicated to the restoration of the species in Rhode Island. From collaborations with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, to community meetups to lift herring over artificial dams, the RHC utilizes grassroots outreach and the passion of local fisherman and conservationists to help this struggling species.
Our Work
Counts
Tagging
Counts
The RHC partners with and works alongside the RI Dept. of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to count herring between March and May as they make their way upstream. In only 10 minutes, volunteers can contribute valuable research data that helps estimate the health of the population.
Lifts
Tagging
Counts
The RHC gathers every spring to help any herring that find themselves stuck at bottom of manmade dams or faulty fish ladders. Over the past several years, our volunteers have lifted thousands of herring by hand so they can continue their journey upstream.
Tagging
Tagging
Tagging
Led by the Nature Conservancy of RI, the RHC helps with their Telemetry Project. Piloted in 2021, small acoustical tags were implanted into hundreds of herring to gather valuable data about the total stock and timing of the annual the herring run in Rhode Island.
Our Partners
Friends of the Saugatucket
The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island
Our Team
Paul Clappin
Paul is a Rhode Island native, fisherman, and the Director of the River Herring Collective. Having grown up in Rhode Island, Paul developed a passion for the ocean, fishing, and conservation. He’s volunteered with the RHC for years, netting and releasing thousands of River Herring every spring at various dams along the Saugatucket River. In 2020, he was appointed as Director by former our Founder, Bill McWha. He loves to coordinate and work alongside the passionate volunteers each spring.
Founder and Former Director of the Saugatucket River Herring Association, Bill McWha, lifts herring stuck at the bottom of the Wakefield Dam.