Bay. Construction was started and some dikes were built, but a year later, the United States Congress withdrew its support and funding and the scheme was abandoned. The Quoddy Dam Model Museum at Eastport preserves a large model of the project. The generation of electricity from the bay's tidal currents was ultimately accomplished in September 2012 by Ocean Renewable Power Company. A turbine was installed in Cobscook Bay at the boundary of Eastport and Lubec capable of generating 180 kW of electricity, and was the first North American commercial tidal energy project to supply power to the electrical grid. The turbines did not need dams to function and were mounted on the sea bed. The turbine blades spin slowly in the current and testing seems to indicate they are harmless to marine life. Two more turbines were planned for installation in the bay within a year's time. Ecology This coastal area is home to many resident birds. One of these is the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Cobscook Bay has more pairs of these rare birds per square mile than the rest of Maine. It also houses 25% of the state's black duck (Anas rubripes) population. In the fall, the bay is used by large numbers of birds migrating southwards from their summer breeding grounds. Rare species of bird to be seen here include the harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). An invertebrate of special concern is the mystery snail (Vertigo paradoxa), an air-breathing land snail. In the summer several species of whale enter the bay, including the minke, fin whale and right whale. Conservation Efforts are being made to preserve the biodiversity of the bay. A buffer zone has been created adjacent to the foreshore where no development is allowed. The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is a species of anadromous fish which goes upstream to spawn. Efforts are being made to enable these fish to reach their traditional spawning grounds in the upper waters of the Pennamaquan River, Little River and Boyden Stream. These fish are thought to be important in the bay's ecosystem by providing food for the eagles. Other uses of the name "Cobscook Bay" is also the title of a song by The Mountain Goats from their EP Isopanisad Radio Hour. References Bays of Washington County, Maine Bays of Maine