The Nashwaak Watershed

Make a difference, get involved.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About the Nashwaak Watershed
    • Membership
    • Partners and Supporters
    • Staff and Board of Directors
      • Board Nominations
  • News
  • Projects
    • Aquatic Connectivity
    • Campbell Creek Restoration
    • Cyanobacteria
    • Nashwaak Forest Stewardship Project
    • iNaturalist
    • The Nashwaak Greenway
    • Riverbank Stabilization
    • Watershed Monitoring
    • Water Classification
    • Education
    • Salmon Protection and Monitoring
    • Economic and Resource Development
  • Resources
    • Flood Mitigation & Community Resilience
    • Reports and Management Plans
    • State of the Nashwaak Watershed Report
    • Newsletter
    • Explore the Nashwaak
    • Natural Yard Pledge & Wildlife-Friendly Gardening
      • Build Your Own Rain Garden
    • Infographics & Education Resources
  • Action Plan
  • Events
  • Contact
    • Monthly E-blast

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!

Filed Under: News & Events

Stay in-touch!

Donate Now

Recent News

Earth Day Actions – CBC Morning (April 21, 2022)

April 21, 2022

Campbell Creek Dam Removal

March 1, 2022

NWAI – A Year in Review

January 4, 2022

Conservationists work to save dwindling population of bur oak trees, CBC News (Dec 23, 2021)

December 23, 2021

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

NWAI on Twitter

Today on Endangered Species Day we celebrate and commit to protecting biodiversity. Please consider volunteering with us or one of wonderful NB organizations working to protect species at risk in our province. #endangeredspeciesday #protectbiodiversity #volunteer https://t.co/e68zkeGxNE

- 2 days ago

We took part in a Wilderness First Aid Course this week. Blair Doyle ran us through realistic wilderness scenarios that taught us to keep a cool head and figure it out how to care for injured people in the great outdoors. Special thanks to @MCFTfredericton for hosting us! https://t.co/qUOHs7LYDO

- 8 days ago

World Migratory Bird Day was yesterday, 2022's theme is light pollution. Migratory birds travel throughout the day and night. Consider having your outdoor lighting on a timer and or motion sensor to reduce impact in the evening hours. #migratorybirdday2022 #lightpollution https://t.co/LVB2OR3q3o

- 9 days ago

Bio-diversify your yard like landscape photographer Jason Nugent of Devon, NB! Take the NWAI "Natural Yard Pledge" and commit to 3 of our 10 pledge actions to encourage native flora and fauna on your property and in your neighborhood. #MyNashwaak #NaturalYardPledge #nativespecies https://t.co/F7z5my7hnQ

- 17 days ago

Everyday is a great day for citizen science and yesterday was no exception when Bridgette L'Heureux her daughter partnered with NWAI to install @DucksUnlimited duck boxes on Marysville flats. https://t.co/tycwIAQijn #MyNashwaak #duckboxes #citizenscience #familyvolunteering https://t.co/xI14888UT3

- 17 days ago

Follow @NashwaakWater

NWAI on Facebook

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

2 days ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Today folks all over the planet are coming together on Endangered Species Day to celebrate biodiversity and further action plans to protect and support endangered species. In New Brunswick we have a growing list of species at risk who warrant our attention. These species are at risk by various combinations of habitat/resource loss and negative human interactions. This list includes but is not limited to Piping plover, Peregrine falcon, Bald Eagle, Harlequin duck, Painted turtle, Eastern leatherback turtle, Maritime ringlet butterfly, Monarch butterfly, American eel, Atlantic salmon and Canada Lynx. Efforts to protect the wild places these charismatic creatures call home is increasingly urgent with the changing climate. We can make an impact by sharing our energy and passion with our communities. Please consider volunteering with us or one of the many wonderful New Brunswick organizations working to protect the threatened habitats these creatures rely on. Nature NB Conservation Council of New Brunswick Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society New Brunswick - CPAWS NB The Nature Trust of New Brunswick Community Forests International #EndangeredSpeciesDay #protectbiodiversity #keepnaturewild #volunteer #MyNashwaak #eauNBwater ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

1 week ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Ian, Mariah, Lauren and Marieka took part in a Wilderness First Aid Course in Fredericton this week. Blair Doyle ran us through realistic wilderness scenarios that taught us to keep a cool head and figure out how to care for injured people in the great outdoors. Special thanks to Maritime College of Forest Technology for hosting us! #wildernessfirstaid #eauNBwater ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

1 week ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
We have been busy this week at the NWAI with training and field work and so we are a day late in celebrating World Migratory Bird Day. All the same, the ways we can help with 2022's theme of light pollution are just as relevant today! Many migratory birds travel continuously throughout the day and night and the decisions we make about lighting our homes and properties matter. Consider having your outdoor lighting on a timer and or motion sensor to reduce the impact of unnatural light in the evening hours. These efforts are important as navigation by way of the stars is key to migrating birds. Tell your neighbors, share with friends, our community efforts have an impact. To learn more visit www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/#migratorybirdday2022 #lightpollution #migration ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

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
Google Map

Phone: 506 261-4664
Email

Copyright © 2022 · Nashwaak Watershed Association · Log in