[Adopted 11-17-2025 FYTM by Art. 14[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This article also repealed former Art. II, Alewife Committee, adopted 3-2-1965 ATM, Art. 2.
There shall be an Alewife Committee, consisting of five members and one alternate, who shall be residents of the Town appointed by the Select Board for a term of three years, with said terms beginning on July 1 and terminating on June 30. The Select Board will appoint members with a background in the natural history of fishes, water protection and management, habitat management and conservation, environmental education, maritime and coastal history, operation and maintenance of fish ladders or any related experience. Members may include individuals serving as Herring Wardens.
The mission of the Alewife Committee is to advise the Select Board, Town Manager, and Department of Natural Resources to improve the river herring fisheries and maintain abundant populations of alewife herring, blueback herring, and other species of fish, including but not limited to American eels, white perch, salter brook trout, tomcod, that migrate between the fresh and saltwater bodies within the Town of Brewster through sound management practices and public education.
The Alewife Committee shall consult with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and other state and federal agencies having similar jurisdiction, to advise and make recommendations to the Select Board, Town Manager and the Department of Natural Resources, with respect to the following:
A. 
Coordinating with, hearing reports from, and advising the Herring Wardens;
B. 
Providing public education about the life history and habitat needs of all migratory fish species in Brewster with emphasis on the river herring run at Stony Brook;
C. 
Creating and updating reports, planning documents, and operation and maintenance plans that address sustainable management of migration and spawning habitats and fish passage structures;
D. 
Working with and advising other Town Departments, committees and boards, and organizations on river herring related matters;
E. 
Providing a venue for public discussion and information exchange regarding river herring related activities including but not limited to habitat restoration projects, habitat management, water supply and control in fish runs and related spawning areas, fish passage infrastructure management, research projects, monitoring projects such as river herring volunteer count programs, water quality and the land and water management activities that affect water quality;
F. 
Periodically reviewing the state and regional requirements for allowing in-river harvest of river herring in Stony Brook, solicit public comment, and determine if sustainable harvest can be or will be allowed;
G. 
If and when in-river harvest of river herring is allowed, working with the relevant Town boards and departments to establish and/or revise regulations to ensure sustainable harvest and enforcement mechanisms; and
H. 
Developing and adopting a stream maintenance plan for Stony Brook watershed, to be implemented by the Department of Natural Resources in coordination with the Herring Wardens.