FISH RESEARCH: WSF's The Great Fish Count (June 4, 2016)

Synopsis: The World Science Festival's "The Great Fish Count” was a free citizen-science event, in partnership with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and environmental education programs at each specific sites. The event covered the five boroughs of NYC and sites in NJ, for a total of 15 Hudson River sites that were surveyed simultaneously. Its focus was on the ecology and diverse fish fauna of the Hudson River. Anyone was allowed to participate! Volunteers tried on waders (waterproof overalls), hauled a seine net, and discovered aquatic life in NYC and NJ waters. The event brought together ecologists, environmental scientists, and the public for a real scientific research endeavor. 

Project: World Science Festival's The Great Fish Count
Host: World Science Festival
Organizers: World Science Festival, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and environmental education programs at specific sites.
Website:  http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/programs/great-fish-count/


Date: June 4, 2016
Location: Multiple sites; this report only covers the Bloomer Beach site in Englewood, NJ. 

(Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Bloomer Beach Site Director(s): Peter J. Park 
Assistants: Kuan Chiu, Tyric Martin, Pamila Ramotar-John, and Kishi John 

Participants: General Public
Methods: Seining 




Environmental Variables:
Air Temp: 27.8 C (82 F)
Water Temp: 23.33 C (74 F)

Salinity: 15ppt

Dissolved Oxygen: 8ppm


Species Caught (and Released):

Fish Species:

Bay Anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli)

(Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

White Perch (Morone americana)

(Photo Credit: Semi Park)

Northern Pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus)

(Photo Credit: Andrew Wu)

  Atlantic Tomcod (Microgadus tomcod)
 

(Photo Credit: Andrew Wu)

Other Species:
Blue Claw Crab (Callinectes sapidus)

(Photo Credit: Semi Park)

 
Shrimp (2 species)

"Grass" Shrimp (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Sand Shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa) (Photo Credit: Andrew Wu)

Follow-Up: Larisa M. Downes, author of the blog Science Savvy Kids wrote an article on about her experience at this event as WSF team member. Check it out: http://www.sciencesavvykids.com/blog/local-wild-and-accessible
 


Additional Info: All procedures and activities described above were permitted by the NY DEC.

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Margie Turrin (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory) and Stephen Stanne (NY DEC) for inviting us to participate in this event!

FISHING STORIES: Free Fishing Events @ Battery Park City (NYC)

Amazing free fishing events hosted by the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy (BPCPC)! Check out info below.

The Nyack College Fishing Club is a big fan of BPCPC fishing events!

I. GO FISH!: A free fishing program open to the public. Four Saturdays every year are set to educate and teach the general public about the marine biology in downtown Manhattan by way of free fishing. During Go Fish, barbless hooks are used to minimize injuries to fish. Some fish are temporarily placed in saltwater tanks for observation and identification. All fish are released back into the Hudson River. Staff and volunteer anglers give demonstrations on fish biology and teach participants how to fish. Displays are provided to inform all about the thriving ecosystem that is the Hudson River. Rods, reels, and bait are provided. Participants are welcome to bring their own gear. This event offers rich and meaningful opportunities for new and experienced anglers to share their skills and knowledge with families, tourists, and everyday New Yorkers who are willing to drop a line in the water! Dr. Peter Park has been a volunteer "Master Angler" at GO FISH! since 2010. 

 

(Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

II. FREE FISHING PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL GROUPS: Similar to the spirit of Go Fish, the BPCPC offers a free marine education program that uses fishing to teach school groups about the Hudson River ecosystem. Teachers can schedule a time to have their class participate in such an outing, which is private for the class. As with Go Fish, barbless hooks are used to minimize injuries to fish. Some fish are temporarily placed in saltwater tanks for observation and identification. All fish are released back into the Hudson River. Staff give informative lectures on the history and health of the Hudson River ecosystem. They also give lessons on fish anatomy and demonstrations on how to fish. Educational displays are showcased. Rods, reels, and bait are provided.

 

(Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

 

More info about the Battery Park City Parks Conservancy:

"The Battery Park City Parks Conservancy is a private not-for-profit corporation created by the Battery Park City Authority in 1987 to manage, maintain, operate and program the parks and open spaces of Battery Park City. BPCPC’s mandate is to manage the parks for the enjoyment of the public and to do so in a world class manner.  In addition, the Board of Directors has supported the efforts of the staff to prove that world class maintenance can be done in a sustainable, or green, manner.

BPCPC believes that developing an environmental consciousness is an important public mission, both for individual park users as well as for the organization.  We ask staff and the public to think environmentally before they act.  We carry our vision through to reality through our electric vehicles, our office recycling and composting programs, our non-toxic pest control programs, and other practices." (Quoted from: http://bpcparks.org/about-us/who-we-are/)

 

FISH RESEARCH: "Day in the Life of the Hudson River Estuary" Ecology Research Event (Oct. 20, 2015)

Synopsis: On Oct. 20, 2015, Nyack College biology majors and Department of Natural Sciences faculty, Dr. Peter Park (Assistant Professor of Biology and Nyack College Fishing Club Director) and Dr. Daniel  Kaluka (Assistant Professor of Chemistry) participated in the "Day in the Life of the Hudson River Estuary" Ecology Research Event. Our students partnered with SUNY Rockland’s Nancy Arias and her students to jointly collect valuable research data on the Hudson River at the Hook Mountain Nyack Beach site.

 

They collected data on some of the Hudson River’s 200-plus species of fish and also examined the physical and chemical aspects of the river with a wide-range of equipment. Spanning over 70 sites from Troy to Staten Island, “Day in the Life” brought together over 5,000 students from 100 different schools, institutions, and organizations to simultaneously survey and study the Hudson River. 

 
“More than a field trip, ‘Day in the Life’ trains students to use hands-on field techniques to describe their communities’ natural resources, and explore how their piece of the river fits into the larger ecosystem. Initial findings are posted online within a few days of the event. Scientists work with students as they actively investigate the river ecosystem, measuring water chemistry, examining small sediment cores, collecting plankton, donning waders to seine for fish and looking at possible changes to the area from rising sea level.” – NYS DEC, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University


Project: Day in the Life of the Hudson River
Host: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and NYS DEC
Organizers: Margie Turrin (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University), Chris Bowser (NYS DEC)
Website(s): More info about the event: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47285.html
Date: October 20, 2015
Location: Hook Mountain - Nyack Beach
Participants: Students of Nyack College and SUNY Rockland

(Photo Credit: Hwa Soo Ryoo)

Environmental Variables (measurements taken 2:00PM, 10/20): 
Air Temp:  deg C
Water Temp: 17 deg C
Salinity: 8 ppt 
DO: 8 mg/L

Species Caught (and Released) by Site:

Fish Species:
White Perch (Morone americana)
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
Atlantic Silverside (Menidia menidia)
 

White Perch (Photo Credit: Daniel Kaluka)

Top: White Perch; Bottom: Striped Bass (Photo Credit: Daniel Kaluka)

Atlantic Silverside (Photo Credit: Hwa Soo Ryoo)

Other Species: 
Sand Shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa) 
Blue Claw Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
White fingered mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii)
Clam Worm (Nereis spp.)
Sea Jelly spp.

Sand Shrimp (Photo Credit: Daniel Kaluka)

Blue Claw Crab (Photo Credit: Daniel Kaluka)

White Fingered Mud Crab (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

White Fingered Mud Crab (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Clam Worm (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

 

  

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Nancy Arias, SUNY Rockland's Sustainability Club members, and Michael A. Bell for sharing their knowledge and equipment.

FISH RESEARCH: Macaulay Honors College BioBlitz 2015 (August 29-30, 2015)

Synopsis: During a BioBlitz, biologists intensely survey wildlife (e.g., mammals, birds, fish, insects, fungi, plants, microbes) within a designated site for a short duration, usually 24 hours. Bioblitzes involve researchers and the general public working together to identify all species in the location, providing a snapshot of its biodiversity. It also provides a unique opportunity for biologists to communicate science about local wildlife and ecology to the public. Macaulay Honors College BioBlitz 2015 was held in Freshkills Park, Staten Island, NY. What was once the world's largest landfill, Freshkills Park is now being restored into a beautiful 2,200 acre park with vibrant wildlife that will be almost 3X the size of Central Park in Manhattan. The goal of BioBlitz 2015 was to get a current species inventory of the park. After restoration, Freshkills Park will be the largest park developed in NYC in the last 100 years. BioBlitz 2015 included over 20 biologists from the greater NY area and approximately 500 Macaulay Honors College students.

Project: Macaulay Honors College BioBlitz 2015
Host: Macaulay Honors College 
Organizers: Kelly O'Donnell (Macaulay Honors College), Lisa Brundage (Macaulay Honors College), and Cait Field (NYC Parks)
Website(s): http://freshkillspark.org/event/freshkills-park-bioblitz and http://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2015/08/26/macaulay-students-descend-on-freshkills-park-for-2015-bioblitz/

Date: August 29 and 30, 2015
Location: Freshkills Park, http://freshkillspark.org/ (Staten Island, NY)

Fish Taxon Leader(s): Peter J. Park and Cait Field 
Assistants: Andrew Wu, Pamila Ramotar-John, and Kishi John 

Participants: Students of Macaulay Honors College
Methods: Seining and Trapping 

Environmental Variables (measurements taken 5:30PM, 8/29): 
Air Temp: 25 deg C
Water Temp: 24 deg C
Salinity: 23 ppt


Species Caught (and Released) by Site:
 
Site I. Main Creek, just east of the junction of Main Creek and Richmond Creek (Method: Seining and Trapping)

Kayak Seining (Photo Credit: Kelly O'Donnell)

 

Fish Species:
Atlantic Silverside (Menidia menidia)
Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
Striped Killifish (Fundulus majalis)
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)
Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)
Black Drum (Pogonias cromis)
Bay Anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli)
Naked Goby (Gobiosoma bosc)

Atlantic Silverside (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Bluefish (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Black Drum (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Bay Anchovy (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Naked Goby (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Other Species:
Fiddler Crab
Green Crab (Carcinus maenas)
Blue Claw Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
Sand Shrimp (Crangon septemspinosa)
Mud Whelk
Comb Jelly

Fiddler Crab, male (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

  
Site II. Tidal Wetland Marsh, north of Site 1 (Method: Trapping)

Gee Minnow Trap (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Environmental Variables (measurements taken 12:00PM, 8/30):  
Air Temp: 28 deg C
Water Temp: 29 deg C
Salinity: 23 ppt


Fish Species:
Atlantic Silverside (Menidia menidia)  
Mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus)
Striped Killifish (Fundulus majalis)
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)

Mummichog (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Striped Killifish, male (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Striped Killifish, female (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Striped Bass (Photo Credit: Peter J. Park)

Comments: In preparation for BioBlitz 2015, Peter J. Park, Cait Field, and Andrew Wu visited these sites a week prior and observed two species that were not caught during this event:

Mojarra, Family Gerreidae (Photo Credit: Andrew Wu)

Alewife (Photo Credit: Andrew Wu)

Additional Info: All procedures and activities described above were permitted by the NY DEC.

Follow-Up:  
Media coverage of BioBlitz 2015: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/staten-island/news/2015/09/2/-former-fresh-kills-landfill-breeding-new-life.html

Fish species identified were incorporated into the Hudson River Almanac: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25611.html

Nyack College College of Arts and Sciences Blog: http://www.nyack.edu/blog/CASNews/2227

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to John Waldman (Queens College), Bob Schmidt (Bard College at Simon's Rock), and Tom Lake (NY DEC) for their expertise on saltwater fishes of NYC. We are also grateful to Michael A. Bell (Stony Brook University), John Waldman (Queens College), and Margie Turrin (Lamont -Doherty Earth Observatory) for the loaning of equipment for this event.

Further Reading:
Murdy, E. O., R. S. Birdson, and J. A. Musick. 1997. Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington.

Page, L. M. and B. M. Burr. 2012. Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York.