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The Nemasket or Namasket River is a small river in southeastern
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. It flows north U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011
from Assawompset Pond in Lakeville and through Middleborough where it empties into the Taunton River. The Nemasket's sole tributary is Fall Brook, which drains out from
Tispaquin Pond Tispaquin Pond is a warm water pond in Middleborough, Massachusetts Middleborough (frequently written as Middleboro) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,245 at the 2020 census. History The town ...
. In
Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 1 ...
Nemasket means ''Place where the fish are'', because it is the largest alewife run on the Eastern Seaboard.River Herring Viewing guide
/ref> The water is clear and there are several good places for launching unmotorized boats, with popular spots including Old Bridge Street, Wareham Street, and
Oliver Mill Park Oliver Mill Park is a municipal park on Nemasket Street in Middleborough, Massachusetts. It contains the remains of a major 18th century industrial complex developed by Peter Oliver, which included several mills, a blast furnace, and forge. It ...
on U.S. Route 44.


History

The Native American
Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 1 ...
Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
would leave their winter encampments inland and navigate the Taunton River to the Nemasket River in the early spring to take advantage of the alewife run and relocate to their summer encampment on Betty's Neck on Assawompsett Pond. When Oliver Mills built the factory that spanned the river, it created contention with the Wampanoags by forcing them to portage around the facility. The remnants of Camp Joe Hooker, a training camp for Massachusetts
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
located on the left side of Staples Shore Road. During the late 19th century, several steamboats were operated along the Nemasket, offering cruises of the river and into Assawompsett Pond. Once a popular tourist destination, the cruise business ultimately ended upon construction of the dam where the river drains out of Assawompsett, which both restricted the ability for vessels to travel and also lowered the water level of the river. The tie-up for one side-paddle wheeler, the ''Assawompset'', can still be seen off the canal that cuts across the right hand side of the marsh between Bridge Street and Vaughn Street.


Ecology

The Nemasket boasts one of the largest herring runs on the eastern seaboard, with millions of alewife and blueback herring migrating from the Atlantic Ocean, up the Taunton River, up the Nemasket, and into the Assawompsett Pond complex, which contains the largest herring spawning area in the state, at over 5,000 acres. In addition to the herring, the Nemasket serves as habitat for numerous other diadromous species, including rainbow smelt, American eel, American shad, and
striped bass The striped bass (''Morone saxatilis''), also called the Atlantic striped bass, striper, linesider, rock, or rockfish, is an anadromous perciform fish of the family Moronidae found primarily along the Atlantic coast of North America. It has ...
. Due to the Nemasket's connection to the Atlantic via the Taunton River, some marine mammal species have been known to make their way up the river. Harbor seals are seen on occasion, often in the spring when the herring migrate, and in 2005, a young
harp seal The harp seal (''Pagophilus groenlandicus''), also known as Saddleback Seal or Greenland Seal, is a species of earless seal, or true seal, native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Originally in the genus '' Phoca'' with a numbe ...
was found in the Nemasket. Other common wildlife in the area include deer, foxes, coyotes, river otters, raccoons, skunks, and opossums.


References

Rivers of Plymouth County, Massachusetts Taunton River watershed Lakeville, Massachusetts Middleborough, Massachusetts Rivers of Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-river-stub