VASSALBORO — Most people at Wednesday’s public meeting on the proposed fishway at the Webber Pond outlet dam support the idea.

A straw poll near the end of the discussion showed more than half the two dozen residents present in favor. Some did not vote, and one or two hands were tentatively raised in opposition to adding a fish ladder.

The goal is to allow alewives, small fish harvested for lobster bait, to migrate from the ocean up the Kennebec River and into Webber and associated ponds to spawn.

The major concerns discussed were safety for people who swim above the dam, vandalism, cost, and fear of acquiring unwelcome fish species such as pike and carp.

The area above the dam has been a traditional swimming area for many years, in spite of neighbors’ complaints about late-night parties, and risk. People have been swept through the dam and, this spring, the Webber Pond Association that owns the dam closed the swimming area, citing safety concerns.

Speakers at the meeting indicated that closure has been ignored.