AndyS
03-31-2011, 07:49 PM
State: New Jersey
Grant Title: Investigation and Management of New Jersey’s Freshwater Fisheries Resource
Project I: Investigations and Management of Anadromous Fisheries
Project Objective: To gather basic fisheries information for development of appropriate management procedures for anadromous species found within the inland waters of New Jersey
Job I-5: American Shad Restoration in the Raritan River
Job Objective: To confirm adult American shad returnees and natural reproduction in the Raritan River .
Period Covered: November 1, 2009 – October 31, 2010
Activity: A total of 21 video tapes from 2003 and 1999 (partial) were viewed and fish passage data recorded.
Target Date: Ongoing
Recommendations: Place greater emphasis on viewing tapes and hire a seasonal worker to specifically conduct this task. Resume monitoring of fish passage in 2011 to provide baseline data in advance of the removal of the Calco dam located downstream (slated for removal in 2011).
Remarks:
The Raritan River historically supported a spawning run of American shad. In the early 1980’s, adult male and gravid female Delaware River American shad were stocked in an attempt to reestablish a spawning run. Subsequent to that, a dam, the Island Farm Weir, was constructed at the confluence of the Millstone and Raritan rivers by the Elizabethtown Water Company to improve the ability of a major water purveyor to collect water for potable water use. The weir was completed in October, 1995 and the adjacent vertical slot fish ladder, with an underground viewing chamber, opened on April 9, 1996.
Monitoring the passage of fish through the ladder commenced on April 22, 1996 using a high resolution, black & white video camera, time lapse VCR, and infrared lighting system powered by two deep cycle 12-volt batteries. The operation of the camera is labor intensive, requiring visits to the ladder at three-day intervals to replace batteries and tapes. The video tapes would then be viewed at a later date in the office (also labor intensive) and individual fish passage data recorded. Fish passage was routinely monitored in this manner during the spring (mid March – June 15) from 1996 – 2003 and in 2005 (Table 1). Not all of the video has been viewed and prior to this job segment video from the following years still needed to be viewed: 1999, 2000, and 2003.
During Segment 24 the passage of American shad and other fish species through the fish ladder at the Island Farm Weir was not monitored. However, greater emphasis was placed on viewing the backlog of video tapes and a total of 21 tapes (1 tape = approximately 3 days of monitoring) were viewed. All the video from 2003, and some of the video from 1999, was viewed and fish passage data recorded (Table 1). A total of 46 tapes from years 1999 (partial) and 2000 must still be viewed.
This Job has recently taken on renewed importance because the three lowermost fish passage impediments on the Raritan River (Calco dam, Nevius Street dam, and Robert Street dam) will be removed as part of a settlement through NJDEP’s Natural Resource Damages funds. The only dam downstream of the Island Farm Weir is the Calco dam, which is slated for removal in the summer of 2011. In anticipation of this, monitoring of fish passage through the Island Farm Weir fish ladder will resume in 2011 in order to provide baseline data on fish passage prior to removal of this dam. Under the next five-year grant agreement (which begins November 1, 2011) it will be proposed that this job be continued so fish passage can be monitored in 2012 (post dam removal).
Table 1.¾ Summary of annual fish passage data at the Island Farm Weir fish ladder located immediately downstream of the confluence of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers, New Jersey. Data typically collected from mid-March to mid-June.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/job11fisheriestech-raritan.htm
(I'm working on posting raw numbers)
Grant Title: Investigation and Management of New Jersey’s Freshwater Fisheries Resource
Project I: Investigations and Management of Anadromous Fisheries
Project Objective: To gather basic fisheries information for development of appropriate management procedures for anadromous species found within the inland waters of New Jersey
Job I-5: American Shad Restoration in the Raritan River
Job Objective: To confirm adult American shad returnees and natural reproduction in the Raritan River .
Period Covered: November 1, 2009 – October 31, 2010
Activity: A total of 21 video tapes from 2003 and 1999 (partial) were viewed and fish passage data recorded.
Target Date: Ongoing
Recommendations: Place greater emphasis on viewing tapes and hire a seasonal worker to specifically conduct this task. Resume monitoring of fish passage in 2011 to provide baseline data in advance of the removal of the Calco dam located downstream (slated for removal in 2011).
Remarks:
The Raritan River historically supported a spawning run of American shad. In the early 1980’s, adult male and gravid female Delaware River American shad were stocked in an attempt to reestablish a spawning run. Subsequent to that, a dam, the Island Farm Weir, was constructed at the confluence of the Millstone and Raritan rivers by the Elizabethtown Water Company to improve the ability of a major water purveyor to collect water for potable water use. The weir was completed in October, 1995 and the adjacent vertical slot fish ladder, with an underground viewing chamber, opened on April 9, 1996.
Monitoring the passage of fish through the ladder commenced on April 22, 1996 using a high resolution, black & white video camera, time lapse VCR, and infrared lighting system powered by two deep cycle 12-volt batteries. The operation of the camera is labor intensive, requiring visits to the ladder at three-day intervals to replace batteries and tapes. The video tapes would then be viewed at a later date in the office (also labor intensive) and individual fish passage data recorded. Fish passage was routinely monitored in this manner during the spring (mid March – June 15) from 1996 – 2003 and in 2005 (Table 1). Not all of the video has been viewed and prior to this job segment video from the following years still needed to be viewed: 1999, 2000, and 2003.
During Segment 24 the passage of American shad and other fish species through the fish ladder at the Island Farm Weir was not monitored. However, greater emphasis was placed on viewing the backlog of video tapes and a total of 21 tapes (1 tape = approximately 3 days of monitoring) were viewed. All the video from 2003, and some of the video from 1999, was viewed and fish passage data recorded (Table 1). A total of 46 tapes from years 1999 (partial) and 2000 must still be viewed.
This Job has recently taken on renewed importance because the three lowermost fish passage impediments on the Raritan River (Calco dam, Nevius Street dam, and Robert Street dam) will be removed as part of a settlement through NJDEP’s Natural Resource Damages funds. The only dam downstream of the Island Farm Weir is the Calco dam, which is slated for removal in the summer of 2011. In anticipation of this, monitoring of fish passage through the Island Farm Weir fish ladder will resume in 2011 in order to provide baseline data on fish passage prior to removal of this dam. Under the next five-year grant agreement (which begins November 1, 2011) it will be proposed that this job be continued so fish passage can be monitored in 2012 (post dam removal).
Table 1.¾ Summary of annual fish passage data at the Island Farm Weir fish ladder located immediately downstream of the confluence of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers, New Jersey. Data typically collected from mid-March to mid-June.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/job11fisheriestech-raritan.htm
(I'm working on posting raw numbers)