On Thursday September 10th, Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®’s Theaux Le Gardeur and Department of Service and Civic Innovation (DSCI) 2nd Year Leader, Brady Bayne, met with Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Fisheries and The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) early in the morning to observe and assist with a beach seine sample at Gunpowder State Park Hammerman Beach in Middle River Maryland. Jeffrey Horne, Shannon Moorhead, Marek Topolski, and Sam Elliott of MDNR were in charge of conducting the beach seine sample while Pauline Bowen and Matt Stefanak of UMCES were carrying out a trophic study of their own. Although the air temperature was close to 80°F, the water temperature remained cold so Jeffrey and Shannon dawned wetsuits.
Beach Siening refers to the sampling method of using a long vertical net from the shoreline with floats on the top and weights on the bottom. One person stands on the shoreline while a second person wades straight out into the water as deep as they can. The person in the water walks parallel to the shoreline and slowly moves closer to the shoreline. As the net moves closer to the shoreline it corrals and traps fish which is then brought onto the shore and placed in a large bin. Members of fisheries, at a lighting quick pace, identify and count fish species found within the net all while being careful not to get pinched by any crabs hiding in the detritus.
Each fish picked out of the net was quickly identified and recorded on a data sheet. Bay anchovies, white perch, and rockfish were the most commonly found species while the occasional pipefish made for an exciting morning. The beach siene data collected will be used by MDNR staff to better understand what fish species are present and in what quantity, providing vital data regarding the health of fish populations within the Gunpowder River. In conjugation with MDNR, Pauline Bowen and Matt Stefenak from UMCES were in the midst of their own fish study. Recording size measurements and preserving individual fish species of the Gunpowder River.
While on the beach at Hammerman an extra Siene sample was taken for Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®’s fish tanks. Now the Sparks Bank Nature Center has a fish tank full of Bluegill, white perch, rockfish, and pipefish directly from the Tidal Gunpowder River Basin. Make sure to come visit the nature center in Sparks, Maryland to catch a glimpse of the diversity found in the Tidal Gunpowder River.
