volunteering with the fisheries for a day

Chris Finch

Chris Finch

Well-known member
we shocked the Farmington river this week to assess populations and get broodstock for one of our hatcheries. it was a great time with many massive fish. it definetly made me miss my friends and the greatest job in the world.

its looking like im going to have to go back school or move to get a job in fisheries or wildlife, so who knows i might end up in a DNR near one of you.

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So how do you shock a river? Does it just stun the fish so you can net them and they return to normal or is it like a human having electro shock therapy?

Serious question.

Mark W
 
We have a generator in a canoe, hooked to a shock box(what controls amperage pulse, ect). Then there are two probes with proximity switches to control power. We shock up river pushing most fish until we hit a riffle and then all hell breaks loose.

The west coast has a raft (like a shocking boat) that goes down river and is more power and holds the fish longer.

We scoop them and put them in live cars behind the field. We then take our data and release them at the end of the sample or if they are old enough or wild and have eggs they go to the hatchery
 
Now is the perfect time to start getting letters of inquiry out to prospective advisors for a Fall '14 start.

T
 
26+ years and counting in the field here in NC. I'll have my walking papers in about 22 more months to get the full 30 if I count my saved up sick leave. If you don't have your Masters...get it!!! You can get into a hatchery here with an associates or BA...but if you want any biologist position or higher, you have to have a Masters. NC constantly has openings in the field but just pooled their technical positions so you may be doing fish work one day, fighting fires another, clearing boundaries another, planting a field...or even picking up trash on a boat ramp. So if you want a specific field and want to stay there...get your Masters. Many states are going to this sort of field organization...we followed what a lot of 'em have gone to. None of the field staff likes it...but it saves $$ for the DNR...and to a pen pusher behind a desk...saving $$ is all that matters.
 
The biggest trout was on the day I volunteered a 54 cm wild brown that went to the hatchery. she was purdy.

Tod there are few awesome masters spots open for spring I might just have to go if I got accepted. I wish the gf was done with school but that will be this coming July. We will see what happens. There are some nice jobs too.....
 
The biggest trout was on the day I volunteered a 54 cm wild brown that went to the hatchery. she was purdy.

Tod there are few awesome masters spots open for spring I might just have to go if I got accepted. I wish the gf was done with school but that will be this coming July. We will see what happens. There are some nice jobs too.....


Have you been sending out letters of inquiry to potential advisors? If you are competitive (should be given your experience and you said you had good grades), that is by far the best way to find a premium position in a good lab with the right amount of financial support (Stipend and research support). If you want any help/tips, I'd be happy to give you a hand.

T
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