August 11, 2023
This week we were all excited for one of the most fun weeks of the season. The electrofishing equipment was available from the Watershed Alliance, and we hit the streams to catch some fish!
The science-fishton-esque backpack uses electricity to briefly shock the fish. This knocks them out for a few seconds and makes it possible for us to net them. This causes no harm to the fish and they completely recover within seconds. We then place them in buckets to measure them, evaluate their health, and track what species are present in which areas of the streams. After information has been gathered, we release them downstream from where we are electrofishing so as to not catch the same fish twice. All fish are carefully monitored and there are many protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of our aquatic friends!
Catching fish brought out the childish joy in all of us, as well as the competition. Cooing over the brightest coloured ones and exclaiming over the largest fish contrasted with diving for big fish in the deeper pools (only two of us fell in). We caught more fish than some of us had ever seen before in our lives, and enjoyed every minute of it.
The rain on Friday meant we couldn’t go out for one last day of fishing, so we spent the day preparing for our Swim for the South Shore event which is happening tomorrow August 19! We can’t believe that the day is finally here, and we hope to see you at Victoria By-The-Sea at 11am tomorrow morning! We have quite a few amazing sponsors and cannot wait to distribute all the amazing prizes that were donated. Registration will remain open until about half hour before the race starts so if you’ve been on the fence about swimming there is still time to join!
Be kind to the fish and see you tomorrow!
Love, SSWA
