The Herring Run 2026

Find out what scientists are learning from Cape Cod’s herring runs with a special presentation at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History on Thursday, September 10 at 1pm.
 
Restoration ecologist Mike Palmer, from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), will discuss long-term trends and deliver some preliminary observations from this year’s migration of alewife and blueback herring.
 
APCC has coordinated river herring monitoring across Cape Cod since 2007, working with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, towns, and local organizations. Trained volunteers count fish passing through ladders and weirs, providing important information on run size and long-term population trends.
 
“Cape Cod’s herring runs are an important part of the region’s ecology, culture, and history, and long-term monitoring gives us a clearer picture of how these populations and their habitats are changing,” said Mr. Palmer. “Working with local partners and communities, we can use that information to guide restoration, improve fish passage, protect spawning habitat, and help sustain these remarkable migrations for generations to come.”
 
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History has a close association with river herring. Its co-founder, John Hay, was fascinated with their lives and recorded his observations in his classic nature book ‘The Run,’ published in 1959. A portion of proceeds from this event will go towards a Hay memorial being erected at the Museum this Fall.
 
The Herring Run 2026 is part of CCMNH’s Migration Season a curated series of presentations themed around the annual movement of the species that come through seasonally or call Cape Cod their home. Upcoming events include a talk on local osprey, including highlights from the Museum’s own Osprey Cam, and a rare public demonstration of the Museum’s Bird Banding team on Wing Island.