![]() There are still many dams along the river today. Human-made dams created impenetrable barriers to the anadromous fish who used the Blackstone and its tributaries to spawn. Anadromous fish, like Atlantic salmon, herring, and shad, live most of their lives in the ocean, but swim up fresh-water rivers to lay their eggs before dying. Dams blocked passage to these fish. As a result, anadromous fish have not visited the Blackstone River for well over two centuries. But these dams are not all bad. Behind the dams are mill ponds. A mill pond is a pool created to provide water for a mill. These bodies of water are also an ideal habitat for many fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, and mammal species. Another example of humans unknowingly creating a new habitat is the surviving sections of the Blackstone Canal.
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Last updated: December 14, 2021