Week 4, June 12th: Second Time's the Charm
June 12th, Monday:
This week is predicted to be a scorcher. Quite the contrast from rainy last week, as now most of this week is supposed to be sunny and hot!
Today was a unique day for tracking. As it was the first outing for Emily and I without Dr. Pinou, we were a bit nervous. To ease these nerves, however, was our boat captain Scott, a veteran of Candlewood Lake and the carp tracking in general. Together, the three of us traversed through the Danbury sites and over half of the "lower mid sites" sites (these sites include parts of Brookfield and New Fairfield), finding over a fifth of the tagged carp!
Our current goal is to observe every site one additional time before July 4th, as the increase in boat traffic will likely stir up the triploid grass carp. By observing each site twice, we will have a solid baseline in order to better detect movements in the carp over the course of the summer. Despite the heat, today was a productive and efficient use of the nice weather. Hopefully the rest of the week will follow this pattern!
June 14th, Wednesday:
Today was slated to be a busy day for Emily and I. In the early afternoon, we embarked with Alan (a different Alan from our first exploration!) and Noreen Michener, who keep their boat in New Milford. Although it was arranged last minute, the weather was beautiful, and we saw an increase in boat activity despite it still being a weekday. Together, the four of us covered New Milford in its entirety for a second time, while also finishing all of the lower-mid sites that we began with Scott earlier this week.
Although we did not find many fish today, it is to be expected because no fish were originally released in New Milford or Brookfield. Because of this, any fish we did find must have swam long distances to be in these regions. As triploid grass carp are typically lazy and do not move often once they settle, finding few radio tagged expected for these regions.
Important to note, however, is the presence of floating pieces of Eurasian Milfoil, such as that above. Strands of milfoil are chopped off from boat motors and other sources, causing it to float on the waters surface. This is detrimental to the lake's health, as this segment of milfoil will float along the lake's surface, and eventually reroot. The milfoil can spread like wildfire in this method, so please do not rip up any milfoil unless you plan on throwing it out afterwards!
June 16th, Friday:
The weather was not promising for our scheduled data collection today. However, on the morning of, Emily, Alan (yet another Alan!) and I decided to meet at Alan's New Fairfield boat to try to sample as much as possible before any rain settled in. Heading to the Sherman region of the lake, our hopes were high to find a plentitude of fish!
As expected, the Sherman region was a hotspot for grass carp. Although we mostly found repeats from our previous Sherman expedition, we were pleased to discover a new carp that has taken residence in Shelter Cove! Even more surprising, this carp had evaded detection since release until today. With this being the fourth carp to be found in Shelter Cove, the place New Fairfield's Board of Selectmen wanted to dump chemicals, a process which would kill all carp present. There's a certain joy to this irony.
Despite this good news, there are some causes for concern with the upcoming weeks in the lake. Due to the recent blast of heat, milfoil growth has exponentially increased, and can already be seen scraping the surface of the lake. While this is unfortunate, it does not mean the carp project is ineffective. As discussed in many prior studies (see "Literature to Learn" section!), it can take up to 6 years to truly see a large scale impact from the triploid grass carp. Thanks to the 4,450 carp added to the lake this past week, coupled with yearly draw downs and fertilizer regulation, control over the Eurasian Milfoil in Candlewood Lake can be achieved. However, it will take cooperation from all communities around the lake, so be sure to do your part to help!
