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

- 165 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

- 166 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

- 168 days ago

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

- 170 days ago

@Andrew__Holland @mla_mike @Gov_NB @NCC_CNC Excellent work!

- 170 days ago

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

12 hours ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
#DYK Pollinator species such as bees 🐝, hummingbirds, and butterflies🦋help plants reproduce by spreading pollen? This is important because it supports the biodiversity of native plants as well as crops around the world.If you would like to help our pollinator friends, here are some tips for growing a pollinator garden:🌻Succession planting - plan to have a variety of plants that bloom from spring to fall.🌷Cultivate variety - different pollinators love different shapes and colours of blossoms. Ensure there is a variety for them to choose from.🪺 Add bird baths and bee houses - this will encourage pollinators to take up residence and come back year after year.See the link below to discover native plant species that will make pollinators sure to visit your garden! 👇davidsuzuki.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DSF-NB-plant-list.pdf#ecofriendlyfriday #pollinator #MyNashwaak #nativeplantgarden ... See MoreSee Less

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

2 days ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Wondering what we’ve been up to lately? If you’re new here, you may not know that we plant lots of trees each year to help re-establish healthy floodplain forests along the Nashwaak River. These floodplain forests are composed of a mixture of silver maple, bur oak, red-tipped willow, red-osier dogwood, and many other species to ensure that there is lots of habitat for local biodiversity. 🌱Over the past two weeks, we’ve spent lots of time flagging! Each spring, we flag our recently planted trees so that we can conduct our seasonal maintenance. While these trees are superstars in terms of their ability to help stabilize riverbanks and provide habitat for local wildlife, they still need some help to ensure that they can survive. Mowing these areas helps to reduce competition from grass and ensure that they are receiving adequate sunlight. If you ever feel like lending a hand, please reach out to us via email at staff@nashwaakwatershed.ca! #MyNashwaak #riverbankrestoration #treeplanting #volunteer ... See MoreSee Less

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

3 days ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Sunday was a beautiful day for birding and what a wonderful gang we had at @nashwaakmeadows . A big thank you to Dan Serpiello and @atlanticducks for making it such a fun morning! The highlight was definitely the American bitterns ❤️ #birdwatching #community #MyNashwaak ... 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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