Kingston - Herring Counters wanted 4-4-14
GUEST COLUMN: Herring counters wanted, welcome
With luck and tide on their side, the river herring should be finning their way to the Elm Street fish ladder very soon, and we hope you will help us count them. We will start the count this Saturday, April 5. emailprint 2
By Pine duBois
Wicked Local Kingston
Posted Apr. 4, 2014 @ 7:41 am
The time has come! The river is high and sending the signal out to sea. With luck and tide on their side, the river herring should be finning their way to the Elm Street fish ladder very soon, and we hope you will help us count them. The construction debris notwithstanding, we can re-take our positions at the top of the Elm Street ladder and continue our annual counting ritual.
Now in our 10th year, this volunteer service is the leading ingredient to restoring the habitat and passage for these essential fish. We learn more every year about how these foot-long fish support so many aspects of our lives. To help them out, we are continuing to work on design improvements up near Silver Lake High School to restore the fish passage beyond the Forge Pond dam, between the Jones River and the lake's expansive habitat.
Last year, by using an underwater camera in the area where we removed the Wapping Road dam, we proved that river herring are indeed exploring the upriver habitats. After a century-long lockout due to that dam, it is extraordinary to witness how the strength of the river and genetic signal of this species is still strong enough to call them to their ancestral spawning ground.
This year we are planning to install a camera above the Elm Street ladder and film 24/7. With your help to perform our usual 10-minute interval counts, we hope to understand the peculiarities of this particular herring run in order to advance additional improvements.
So please sign up by sending an email to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
, stop in at the Landing, or call 781-585-2322. First time? We'll train you!
We will start the count this Saturday, April 5. The periods are 7 to 11 a.m., 11a.m. to 3 p.m., and 3 to 7 p.m. We need three 10-minute counts each period, and no stacking. In other words, we cannot allow successive counts by the same person, as the statistical analysis is built on random count segments.
Please sign up for as much as you have time for. And remember – it is a great opportunity to meditate and clear your mind!
Pine duBois is the executive director of the Jones River Watershed Association.
