Week 3

It was really fun to work with Fish and Game this week. They took a long time to get us to the point where we could volunteer after our internship applications were kicked back numerous times. Although we cannot work more than two days consecutively, we got some pretty solid days in this week. Working with our mentor, Mike Dionne, we have learned a lot about fish and data collection. We observed and helped him measure the fish along with other fish ladder maintenance. We counted fish both visually and with electronic sensors and were sorely disappointed with the results we found. In river herring numbers, for example, this time last year they had counted over 100,000 fish that had swam through their ladders in southern New Hampshire. This year, due to the cold water being 5-10 degrees cooler than usual, they have yet to see 15,000. When talking to the Fish and game people, they were very surprised that we were having any luck catching fish. They confirmed our idea that the fish are incredibly slow and behind in their spring because of the cold water. Fish and Game’s numbers indicate a 30 year low in fish at this rate and they think that this is not the first time this will happen. Many of them say it’s a one off fluke, others say a clear sign of climate change and a reflection of how we are destroying our planet. Although we did not do a ton of fishing this week compared to weeks past, we are very happy that we got to work with the fish so that we can now accurately compile our data and make a good guide from the data that we have already collected.