The Watertown Dam is the second of numerous dams located along the length of the
Charles River. The current dam creates an obstacle for the river herring that run in the spring, but herring have long been harvested at this site. The Pequossette (one of the tribes of the
Massachusett people) inserted stakes into the river then interwove brushwood to create a weir that would trap the herring as the tide went out. Today, a fish ladder provides access to upstream spawning habitat as part of a system of fish passages that provide access up to river mile 20. The high concentrations of
blueback herring and
alewife below the dam in the spring make it a popular fishing spot for
herring gulls,
great black-backed gulls,
great blue herons,
night herons and
cormorants. File:Great Blue Heron readying to strike.JPG|Readying to strike File:Great Blue Heron catching Herring.JPG|Heron has fish under water File:Great Blue Heron spears Herring.JPG|Successfully speared File:Great Blue Heron with Herring.JPG|With herring ==References==