Pembroke selectman fuming about fish deaths 11-20-17
Pembroke selectman fuming about fish deaths, saying Brockton is at fault
The Patriot Ledger
By Adam Silva
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Posted Nov 20, 2017 at 11:38 PM
PEMBROKE – The town of Pembroke and the city of Brockton appear to be at a stalemate regarding fish deaths in Silver Lake.
Selectman William Boulter told fellow selectmen Monday night that he doesn't expect the matter to be resolved in the near future, partly because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
He said he is still waiting to get a response from Brockton officials.
Last month, the state Division of Marine Fisheries estimated that 2,500 herring died in Silver Lake because Brockton had diverted them from Furnace Pond. Feeding the city's water supply lowered the water level in Silver Lake.
"Although they did originally say that they would be willing to sit down and meet with us, we haven't heard back from them lately," Boulter said, referring to Brockton officials. "I've talked to the Division of Marine Fisheries and the (state) Environmental Police, and I was supposed to meet tomorrow (today, Tuesday, Nov. 21) with the Environmental Police, but because of the holiday schedule, it won't be until next week."
According to Boulter, the town has been working with the Division of Marine Fisheries and Brockton's water department for five years to fix the problem, but the state does not want to spend the necessary money.
Boulter said Pembroke selectmen aren't the only ones concerned about the situation. The towns of Halifax and Hanson have expressed concerns, as have people who are interested in the condition of the North River and Silver Lake, he said.
The state has a ban on taking herring, and violators can be fined $50 per fish. If the fine was imposed for the loss of 2,500 herring, $125,000 would have to be paid, Boulter said.
"The optimal solution to me is that this never happens again and we correct it," he said. "We shouldn't have this problem, because they have been notified enough times. We need to correct it, and if we need to bring them to court to correct the problem or change in the general laws, then all I'm up for that.
"I think that they should be fined the $125,000, because they were aware of what was going on. They just tried to put it aside and hoped that it went away. Well, I'm not going away!"
Adam Silva may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
