The Nashwaak Watershed

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Volunteers Needed for Summer Work

April 13, 2016

river shotIts spring and the Nashwaak Watershed Association is once again seeking volunteers to help out at the Rotary Fish Traps (smelt wheels) on the Nashwaak River. The time commitment is a ½ day, weekend morning and it is a really interesting experience.

Below is a list of the dates for which volunteers are needed. If you are interested, please e-mail Peter Salonius at: petersalonius@hotmail.com or telephone him at (506) 459-6663 to let him know on which dates you might be available.

NOTE: You may not be needed on the day you have chosen if the operation is not taking place due to high water or lack of fish in the days previous. You must wear a personal floatation device / life jacket and waterproof boots …… dressing appropriately for the weather (rain, cold, or heat etc)

What you can expect

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) technician who will be on duty for your morning will contact you by phone a day or so before to set a time and place to meet. The tech can often pick you up at your residence on the way out to the smolt wheels that are just downstream from Durham Bridge, and drop you back at your residence when the work is completed.

The wheel(s) look like cement mixers with the big end facing upstream — the current makes the wheel rotate and downstream and migrating fish are gently directed by the wheel’s rotation into a holding well at the downstream end of the unit.

You will travel by motorboat upriver to the smolt wheel that is guy-wired in the main current, and tie up the boat to the deck (like a floating dock). The tech 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) but he or she will need you to tally the salmon smolts as WILD or HATCHERY ORIGIN in groups of five, as well as marking down other species and their sizes on waterproof paper in a log book.

Once back on shore, the retained fish in buckets will be anesthetized, measured, weighed and a scale sample will be 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. A certain number of the fish will have a small part of their fleshy adipose fin removed / clipped off, which is an operation requiring both you and the tech. At the end of the morning, the marked fish will be taken several km upstream and placed back in the river.

What we learn from this process

The proportion of the 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. DFO operates 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 measure gives an indication of marine survival. The Nashwaak River is used as the INDEX river for all salmon streams downstream from the Mactaquac dam.

Thank you!

Planned dates for counts

Saturday, April 23
Sunday, April 24

Saturday, April 30
Sunday, May 1

Saturday, May 7
Sunday, May 8

Saturday, May 14
Sunday, May 15

Saturday, May 21
Sunday, May 22
MONDAY, May 23

Saturday, May 28
Sunday, May 29

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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.

13 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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