Historically, the Mattapoisett River has yielded the bay's most abundant herring populations.

Fish populations drastically declined during the twentieth century until they were almost extinguished, but local restoration efforts from the 1980s onwards have fostered a slow recovery.

The principal restoration tactic has been to remove snags and other obstacles from the river that serve to impede fish migrations.

The Lower Herring Weir is one of the few rivers emptying into Buzzards Bay that has electronic fish counters installed.

Since 1934, the river has been the venue for the Annual Rochester to Mattapoisett Memorial Day Boat Race.