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An invitation to visit
Each spring when the shadbush blooms, New Englanders have the opportunity to view an incredible natural phenomenon. American shad, Sea Lamprey, Atlantic salmon and other anadromous fish swim up the Connecticut River as they begin their annual spring migration. Driven by instincts as old as time, adult fish return to spawn in the rivers of their birth.
The fishlift at HG&E’s Robert E. Barrett Fishway helps migrating fish over the dam. It was the first and most successful fish lift on the Atlantic coast.
It consists of two elevators or “lifts” which carry migrating fish up and over the Holyoke dam. Visitors can watch the lifts in action from an observation deck overlooking the Connecticut River. After the fish are lifted, visitors can witness their migration as they swim by the viewing windows and continue their upriver journey.
Click here to download a brochure about the Fishlift Visitors Center
(opens in a new window, requires Adobe Acrobat to view)
Directions to fishlift:
Traveling north or south on Route 91:
Take exit 17 (Rte. 141 Holyoke Center/South Hadley) and follow signs to Rte. 141 East towards Holyoke. Stay on Rte. 141, bearing right at the second set of lights. Continue on Rte. 141 for six more lights, turning left at the 6th onto Main Street (Rte. 116N which turns into Canal Street).
Once on Main Street/Route 116 North there are detour signs. Continue past the first detour sign (Local Traffic Only/Truck Detour) and follow detour signs until you return to Rt. 116. Turn left at the fishway sign just before the South Hadley Falls Bridge.
Traveling south on Rte. 116
Cross the South Hadley Falls Bridge. Take an immediate right into the fishway entrance.
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