Herring numbers on the Mattapoisett River fell for the second year in a row, according to a recent report from Alewives Anonymous, a tri-town organization that monitors the fish’s numbers.

This year, 18,540 herring were counted on the Mattapoisett river, a notable decrease from the 42,332 counted in 2015.

2014 saw the highest numbers in years with 55,429 fish counted, a 156 percent increase above the previous year’s number.

“Evidence of herring being present at Mattapoisett (gulls, cormorants, seals) was not observed nor were they seen during any of the brush and tree clearing activities in the river during the spring,” according to Art Benner, president of the organization. “Counting conditions were ideal this Spring, the counter appears to have functioned without errors.”

In addition to the Mattapoisett River counter, a device was installed this year at Leonard’s Pond on the Sippican River. That counter recorded 1,126 fish. “It has been a few years that herring have not been able to get into Leonard’s pond,” said Benner. “We are hoping that there was a lot of Sippican River herring that stayed in Hathaway’s Pond and spawned there and over the next few years will again become accustomed to continuing further up the river to Leonard’s Pond.”

The Buzzards Bay Coaltion counts the herring at Hathaway’s Pond, but did not have numbers for Benner to count.

The reason for the shifting numbers is unknown.

A moratorium against catching the fish remains in place on both the Mattapoisett and Sippican rivers, according to Benner.