|
USGS Divers at Turners Falls
On August 23rd Barry Irwin and Rick Rendigs (WHFC), members of the USGS dive team,
participated in scientific dive operations with Ted Santos (BRD) at the confluence
of the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers near Turners Falls, Mass. Attempts were
made at two sites to retrieve a moored receiver used for recording the species
and movement of previously tagged anadromous fish within the river. The receiver
operates much like a bar code counter at the grocery checkout line. Anadromous
fish are fish that spawn in fresh water and live in sea water, such as the Atlantic
salmon, American shad, striped bass, blueback herring, and shortnose sturgeon.
The S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center (CAFRC) located at Turners Falls,
Mass., is a branch of the Leetown Science Center, Kearneysville, West Va., within
the USGS-Biological Resources Division. The CAFRC studies the biology, ecology,
and riverine migratory patterns of various species. The center also provides fish
passage facilities (ladders) and develops management strategies toward the
restoration and protection of anadromous fish.
The USGS divers were unable to locate the moored receiver after swimming
various radii lengths around two buoyed sites thought to be "close" to the
original deployment site. During their search in 25-30 ft of water, the divers
encountered swift currents and noted sand waves on the order of four to six feet
in height with 8- to 10-ft wavelengths. Because unusually high current flows had
been recorded since the spring deployment of the receiver, it was concluded that
the instrument package had either been swept away or buried by the migrating
sand waves.
|
 |
October 2000
in this issue:
Florida Bay Red Grouper
Divers at Turners Falls
Long Island Sound
cover story:
Boston Harbor Clean-Up
Sea Floor Mapping DVD-ROM
Sea Floor Mapping DVD-ROM
Santa Cruz Shark Festival
Natural Systems Restoration
Mapping Tools for Fisheries
Alaska Geologic Mapping
Coral Reef Task Force
Gulf of Mexico Sediments
Viking Celebration
Iceland Lecture
Congratulations
Visitors
October Publications List
|
U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
previous story
