Join us Saturday June 1 from 11:00am to 1:00pm at Lemon Creek Park on Staten Island, NYC. We will se seining –using a long net—to catch fish and other aquatic life in both along the sandy beach and within the small tidal pond. We are hoping for some great biodiversity and fish stories! This event is family friendly, but does require a moderate walk on sandy ground.
We will collect data during the fish count to support better understanding of the migratory use of the estuary, along with the biodiversity of the lower Hudson. The full set of data allows to compare species richness and abundance to prior year spring fish counts and those that occur during other times of the year. The WFMD event builds on spring public fish count events that were organized from 2015 through 2019 as part of the World Science Festival, and we are thankful that there are so many wonderful partners that connect annually to make this annual event a success! The full set of data are shared here as part of our long term data history with this year’s data to be added after the event!
World Fish Migration Day is a global celebration to create awareness about the importance of migratory fish and free-flowing rivers. On World Fish Migration Day, organizations from around the world coordinate their own event around the common theme of: CONNECTING FISH, RIVERS AND PEOPLE.
Additional Details
Name of contact person - Chris Bowser
Country - United States
Organizer
How Eels Engage New Audiences Through Community Science
Projects with trained “community scientists” are growing in popularity, but skepticism about scientific rigor challenges volunteer monitoring. The ecology of juvenile American eels and the established methodology of monitoring them make this species ideal for citizen science. New York’s “Hudson River Eel Project” has maintained a decade of data collection by 750 annual participants, from high school students to retirees, at 15 sites along 130 miles of estuary. Some students have even gone on to pursue environmental degrees and professions. Volunteer efforts have the capability of expanding the spatial, temporal, and cultural reach of fish conservation. There is need for more long-term monitoring of eels and this project, including the catch and release of over a million glass eels, provides invaluable data that have management applications. We will discuss methods and protocols used in New York to ensure volunteer-generated data are high quality, and we will describe how ten years of data are being used to support restoration efforts. We will also describe what conditions are ideal for community science of any topic, and how to keep a highly diverse group of participants engaged and dedicated.
Venue
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lemon-creek-park
