NSRWA Needs Volunteers for Herring Counting
Wicked Local Marshfield
Posted Mar. 4, 2015 at 2:15 PM
Updated Mar 4, 2015 at 4:12 PM
Can you “take 10” to help river herring? These little fish need big help!
The North & South Rivers Watershed Association is seeking volunteers from April 1 through May 31 to count herring. The counting will be done seven days a week, six to nine times a day at four different locations.
Volunteers should be able to commit to doing 10-minute counts, ideally several times a week during a specific time period, at a per-determined site. The sites are the South River at Veteran’s Memorial Park fish ladder in Marshfield, the First Herring Brook at the Old Oaken Bucket fish ladder in Scituate, the Herring Brook at Upper Mill Pond fish ladder in Pembroke and the Third Herring Brook Norwell/Hanover. The time slots will be between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
There will be mandatory training sessions for new volunteers, which will be held on Tuesday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m.; Thursday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, March 18 at 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 19 at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m.
To get involved, please contact Sara Grady at 781-659-8168 or sara@nsrwa.org. For more information and the schedule, visit nsrwa.org. Please register for training at least 24 hours in advance, as the location will vary.
Why count herring?
Herring populations have been declining in coastal streams for a variety of factors including an inability to get to their spawning grounds due to dams or non operational fish ladders. The herring are important because they are a crucial link in the coastal food chain. They are a source of food for striped bass, blue fish, osprey, herons and other coastal species. This study will help evaluate the health of our herring populations and identify problems that impede their ability to reach the upper reaches of the rivers and tributaries to spawn.
– See more at: http://marshfield.wickedlocal.com/article/20150304/NEWS/150308433#sthash.vjT2GsZr.dpuf