The Nashwaak Watershed

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Volunteer Opportunity – Smolt Wheel Monitoring

May 7, 2013

If you would like to spend an interesting morning on the Nashwaak, we are looking for volunteers to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning in May assisting a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) technician in monitoring fish collected in the smolt wheel. The Nashwaak is used as the index river for all salmon streams downstream from the Mactaquac dam and the NWAI assists in this process. There are four shifts still available, May 11, 18, 25, 26. If you are interested, please contact Peter Salonius at petersalonius@hotmail.com or by telephone at 459-6663.

What it’s all about and what you will be expected to do

Smolt wheel at Durham Bridge.
Smolt wheel at Durham Bridge.

DFO operates a smolt wheel in the spring and an adult fish counting fence in the same location during the summer so that the numbers of salmon returning from the ocean can be compared to the smolt numbers that migrated to the ocean. This measurement provides an indication of marine survival.

The DFO tech on duty for your morning will contact you by telephone a day or so before to set a time and place to meet. The tech will often pick you up on the way out to the smolt wheel which is located just downstream from Durham Bridge, and then drop you back at your home when the work is completed. You will need to wear waterproof footwear – high rubber boots or waders if you have them – and a life jacket.

You will travel by motor boat a short distance upriver to the smolt wheel which is guy-wired in the main current. The wheels look like cement mixers with the big end facing upstream — the current makes the wheel rotate and migrating fish are gently directed by the wheel’s rotation into a holding well. The boat will be tied to the deck (which is like a floating dock) and will do most of the operation (clearing debris from the wheel and fish well, netting the fish and depositing them in buckets in the boat). The tech will need you to tally the salmon smolts as WILD or HATCHERY ORIGIN in groups of five, as well as mark down other species and their sizes on waterproof paper in a log book.

Once back on shore, retained fish in buckets will be anesthetized, measured, weighed and have a scale sample removed for later analysis to determine how many years they have been in the river since hatching from the egg – here again you will be making entries in the log book and marking lengths and weights on sample envelopes into which the glass slides with the scales are deposited. Plastic tags will also be attached to a certain number of the fish which is an operation requiring both you and the tech.

At the end of the morning, the tagged fish will be taken several kilometers upstream and placed back in the river. The proportion of these fish that are recaptured on subsequent days will indicate how much of the total population is being captured by the wheel(s) so that the total number of juveniles migrating toward the ocean can be estimated at the end of the season.

This is a unique experience so we hope you’ll be interested in giving it a try!

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NWAI on Twitter

@ASDWLimelight @ASDWLimelight @MusicAsdw Check it out

- 49 days ago

Mr. Woodcock's talented gr 12 FHS music class joined us at Marysville Flats this week! We talked climate change and floodplain restoration. We're excited to hear what they create from their Nashwaak River trip. Kudos to the NB Dept of Ed for supporting this awesome experience! https://t.co/6nGyCy7XBP

- 50 days ago

Thanks for supporting this outdoor learning opportunity. Come visit anytime. It was a pleasure to spend time talking about water, climate change and floodplain restoration. @ASD_West @ASDWLimelight @FHSkats @CityFredGov @CityFredRec #eaunbwater #mynashwaak https://t.co/ALhfzSS123

- 52 days ago

Thanks @mla_mike for leading crown land conservation! https://t.co/ObSdrLvBcq

- 54 days ago

@Andrew__Holland @mla_mike @Gov_NB @NCC_CNC Excellent work!

- 54 days ago

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

11 hours ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
It’s almost time for river ice monitoring! Each year, we conduct river ice surveys along the Nashwaak River throughout the winter and spring as a part of GNB’s River Watch Program. The information collected in these ground-based surveys helps the province keep track of the state of our rivers and streams, and can actually be used to forecast potential floods. During the surveys, we record ice types and concentrations, snow and ice thickness, surface and shore conditions, and many other parameters. This information is especially important to collect during ice jams, as they can increase water levels upstream and result in flooding. Keep an eye out for us along the Nashwaak and check back for more ice monitoring updates over the coming months. #MyNashwaak #eauNBwater ... See MoreSee Less

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

1 day ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
A big thank you to everyone who who whooo joined us and @atlanticducks for the first of our three Owls, Stars and Snowshoes events. It was beautiful evening to be in the winter forest with you folks ❄️🌲🦉#nighthike #owlcalling #community #hotchocolate #nashwaakwatershed ... See MoreSee Less

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

5 days ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Though still SOLD OUT, we wanted to make sure everyone knew that our event has been moved to Sunday the 5th due to the extremely cold forecast tomorrow. Same time, same place, same adventure. If you have tickets and this is news to you, please check your junk mail for any missed Eventbrite updates. Cheers ... See MoreSee Less

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Contact Us

Mail:
Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
P.O. Box 314, Station “A”
Fredericton, NB
E3B 4Y2

Office:
181 Westmorland Street
Fredericton, NB
E3B 3L6
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Phone: 506 447-9699
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