During the spring and summer of 2000, Nova Scotia Power Inc. and the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research collected data about the Gaspereau River alewife stock. The spawning run was estimated to contain just over 850,000 fish. Of these just over 750,000 (88%) were taken by the fishery.  

A count of alewives ascending the White Rock fish ladder indicated that 98,883 fish ascended the ladder in 2000. The stock continues to exhibit the characteristics of a heavily impacted stock. Most the fish (94.5%) belonged to the 1995 and 1996 year classes, and less than 10% of the run were repeat spawners. Alewives in 2000 averaged slightly older and larger than during the 1997 or 1998, largely due to strong recruitment of age 5 fish (1995 year class) into the spawning run in 2000.

 During 2000, the control gate at Forest Home was opened on August 16^th, presenting young-of-the-year (YOY) alewives with the opportunity to migrate seaward via this route. YOY alewife emigration at Forest Home began on September 6^th. Just over 116,000 alewives moved down the bypass stream on September 6^th and 7^th (Table 5). These fish ranged between in size between 42mm and 97mm in length, and averaged 57.5mm (s.d.=10.6), about 15 to 20 mm smaller than YOY alewives captured in September at this location during 1997 to 1999.