Although
the eels are larger than the alewives, the movement of
alewives is more conspicuous. During the early spring the
alewives can be seen entering the creek at a culvert running
under Noyack Rd. The fish migrate upstream moving under
North Sea Rd. and then south within Elliston Park until they
can enter Big Fresh Pond. It is during that half mile
journey that spawning can occur. Within Elliston Park the
mile long loop trail crosses the creek at two small
bridges. It is possible to see migrating fishes at those
crossings during the spring as well as late summer and fall
when a few surviving adults and schools of juveniles return
to the sea. Other evidence of their upstream presence is in
the form of fish remains left by raccoons, herons and
egrets. Occasionally hunting ospreys can be seen to prey on
these shallow water fishes.
The Alewife
is a notable local fish that has been collected routinely in
North Sea since colonial times. Indeed, the common name
“alewife” has its origin in the 17th century when
the fish was described as being similar to a herring but had
a bigger belly. At that time, certainly not now, an alewife
(a woman who operated an alehouse) appeared more stout than
most. In fact, the alewife fish does belong to the herring
family. This species is often called the “river herring”.
The
American eels that live in Big Fresh Pond have a more
extraordinary life history. The eels that may stay in the
pond for many years will, as adults seeking to breed, swim
downstream to North Sea Harbor out to little Peconic Bay
east of Montauk and then south for a 1000 miles to the
Sargasso sea. There they spawn with other eels who arrived from many different estuaries along the Atlantic
coast of
North
America. The adults die after spawning but the young are
swept back to the North and randomly re-enter an estuary,
such as the Peconic, thus completing the eel’s life cycle.
In addition
to the creek, the loop trail takes the hiker through an
oak-hickory forest a red maple swamp, and groves of spruce
and beech trees. Adjacent to the principal part of
Elliston
Park,
to the northwest across Millstone Brook and Scott Roads,
there is an extensive trail system that passes through a
diverse forest ultimately leading to an unusual view of the
vast salt marsh meadow near Scallop Pond.
So, like
other trails maintained by the STPS, the Elliston Park system provides the hiker
with a walk among Southampton’s beautiful woods and
forests. However, the Elliston trail also links both fish
and walker to the world beyond
Long Island.
