Sunday, May 31, 2015

FISHING STORIES: Reflections from 2015 World Science Festival’s “Great Fish Count” at Bloomer Beach in Englewood, NJ (May 30, 2015)

By Pamila Ramotar-John

[Pamila Ramotar-John is an external member of the Nyack College Fishing Club. Pamila is a Soil, Water, and Environmental Science Biologist, with expertise in fish metabolism in relation to commercial aquaculture.]




With sunny skies and a cool breeze, it was a perfect day for "The Great Fish Count.” This free citizen-science event was hosted by the World Science Festival and their partners. It spanned the five boroughs of NYC and also included sites in NJ. All told, a total of 14 sites were surveyed simultaneously for fish diversity on May 30, 2015. The intention of this event was to engage the public in real scientific research, all focused on the Hudson River’s ecology and biology. Participants of all ages put on a pair of waders (waterproof overalls), hauled a seine net, and found river or marine life in New York City’s ever-present but sometimes unappreciated waterways. Ecologists and biologists guided to catch, count, identify, and release the animals caught this day in NYC and NJ waters.


 
 
This is a personal account of my experience and participation as a volunteer at this event. As we arrived on Bloomer Beach, I will never forget the waves gently moving toward the river bank. It was a picturesque day to field work. Although I am biologist, this was the first time my husband and I volunteered at a citizen-science fish survey, and so, we were excited with anticipation. Many other volunteers turned out and in surprising numbers. Some were registrants (having signed up in advance online), others were passers-by. We all came to help in the day’s survey of fish and invertebrate diversity at this small, humble region of the Hudson River. Overall, the event did not disappoint - it was truly a great and memorable experience!
 
The day began with the site leaders (one of whom was Nyack College Fishing Club’s Peter Park) explaining in detail what we would do, what we might discover, and how we can all participate. Not long after, we the volunteers got to work! We were strangers at first but soon became responsible co-researchers once the seine net touched the water. The first haul consisted of small (1-3”) silvery fish with big filter-feeding mouths called “bay anchovies” and greenish, oval shaped shelled and big pincer boasting “blue-clawed crabs.” Several subsequent hauls produces different species of fish and invertebrates.







It wasn’t long before a fellow volunteer asked, “That seining looks easy, can I try?” Once in waders and walking around, he was surprised at how challenging it actually was to maneuver in the sediment and pull the seine at the same time. But, he adjusted immediately, and he and his research partner got the job done and produced an impressive haul.

By the end of the day, we had caught multiple species, which included striped bass, more bay anchovies, white perch (the largest fish caught), summer flounder (the most popular fish of the day!), crabs, and shrimp. Everyone was captivated by the diversity of fish revealed after our collective efforts produced valuable scientific data during a genuinely fun day of scientific research. And, this data was being compiled to be used by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation!









The summer flounder was an especially big hit with volunteers! One of the site leaders discussed the biology of this unique animal. As the flounder was gently turned from one side to the other, participants gasped in awe when observing that it had both eyes on only one side (the left side) of the body but not the other. What was even more fascinating was to learn that at birth these flounder look like “normal” fish with eyes on the left and right, but in a short amount of time, the head and body get biologically remodeled in a process called metamorphosis. It was also intriguing to volunteers to learn that this “flatfish” is not depressed (squashed from top to bottom) like a stingray, but rather, it is actually compressed (squished from left to right) like an angelfish but lives on only one side permanently as an adult. This species of flounder lives facing the world on its left side (and lies on the right side), thus belongs to a family called “Left-Eye Flounders”! And, yes, there are species of Right-Eyed Flounders in the world too.





“How is that possible?” one asked. The site leader explained that this anatomical feature is an adaptation. He also explained that for any fish species, the body shape and size, mouth, eye size and position, tail shape, and body color all give insight into how a fish lives, eats, and functions. Volunteers learned that although fish cannot talk, their morphology can tell us how they make a living.

As the event winded down, every volunteer had successfully participated in at least one important aspect of research, whether it was seining, recording data, conducting water tests, or counting fish.




I think all the volunteers, myself included, (who were observers at the start but now fully engaged citizen fish researchers) learned quite a bit about the ecology of the Hudson River, biology of fishes and aquatic invertebrates, and our responsibility to care for this estuary. On behalf of myself, my husband, and all the volunteers and site leaders, thank you to the World Science Festival and all of their partners: the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and environmental education programs at each site, for hosting this event and for bringing real ecological research experiences and teaching to the public.




In closing, I’d like to share a few quotes from the day:

“Mom, I dragged the seine that caught the summer flounder, I did a better job than you, Dad!”
     “I had a great time!”
          “This was educational, I never knew we had these type of fish in our river!”
             “That flatfish was amazing, dark on one side white on the other.”
                 “Is this event annual?”

In the end, Hudson River fish and invertebrates were the talk at “Great Fish Count” at Bloomer Beach in Englewood, NJ.


For more info about this event, see: http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/greatfishcount/
 
For more pictures from this event and other projects that Nyack College Fishing Club is participating in, see: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.386843284835379.1073741842.348416882011353&type=3

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