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Bronx River Diary
Expedition 1: The Launch
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©WCS/J.Maher
| What happens when you take fish from clear Connecticut waters and release them into the Bronx River? Will they survive? Will they reproduce? Will their offspring choose to return after completing a five-year journey to the Atlantic Ocean?
Those were the questions on our minds when 201 fish known as alewife herring plunged into Bronx waters on March 21, 2006. Though presumed to have been native to the Bronx River, alewives hadn’t swum there for 350 years. Dam construction in the mid-1600s blocked their access to upstream spawning grounds, and they quickly disappeared from the river. The alewife re-introduction project, led by the New York City Parks Department Natural Resources Group (NRG), builds on the ongoing efforts to restore the Bronx River by re-establishing this historic migratory fish route.
Learn more about the herring re-introduction effort and the events of March 21, 2006.
As manager for the WCS/NOAA Regional Partnership for the Wildlife Conservation Society, I’ve been assigned to the Alewife Surveyors group. Other surveyors include scientists from NRG and Lehman College, along with students and program staff. Our task is to track the progress of the juvenile herring as they try to reclaim their ancestral waters. The long-range goal is for the alewives to re-establish a Bronx River alewife population. But first, our team must assess how the current group of fish is doing.
The expedition will be dark and dangerous. Dark, because it happens at dusk. Dangerous, because there are spiders (I’m afraid of spiders).
Observations are set to begin in July and continue until the juvenile alewives grow big enough to move out to the ocean, most likely by the end of September. If our project is successful, we will bear witness to the first Bronx-born and -bred alewife generation in three and a half centuries.
July 18, 2006
7:30 p.m.
Preparing to depart. Our inaugural group of Fish Surveyors is due to arrive any minute.
Weather: Unpredictable. If it rains, we’ll get wet.
Clothing: Loose, sprayed with bug repellant. I’m good to go.
7:31 p.m.
Discover that the electric golf cart does not have power steering. At least I’ll get an upper-body workout, if nothing else.
7:32 p.m.
We traverse the grounds of the Bronx Zoo as we head out to the river. We pass the American bison and the World of Birds. The trees feel much closer in the dark…though maybe that’s just because I can’t steer the cart. Whoops! I hope no one suffers from motion sickness.
Soon we are nearing our destination: the bridge (with the spiders) that stretches over the water.
7:40 p.m.
Aaah…Everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief. We have reached the bridge!
The river is about 20 feet wide and lined with trees. It’s a very natural setting, thanks to abundant parkland within the Zoo. The only sign of civilization is the traffic noise coming from the nearby Bronx River Parkway.
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Great white egret at dusk
©WCS/M.Krauss
| 7:45 p.m.
As dusk approaches, we await signs of juvenile alewives consuming insects at the water’s surface. Since their feeding activity produces small pops on the water, the type of survey we are conducting is known as a “popping survey.” Our Bronx River expert explains that although various creatures can cause different kinds of surface disturbances, we will be able to identify the alewives by their distinctive partial leap out of the water. However, there is no guarantee that the fish will show up on any given night. Many factors could impact their behavior. This is why there will be many surveys conducted over the next two and a half months.
Mood: Expectant
Spider count: None so far
7:55 p.m.
Still waiting. Hold on, just saw something break the surface. Oh, it was a turtle—nice but not what we’re looking for. This is going to be tricky…
8:00 p.m.
Turtles: 4
Fish: 0
Spiders: 0 (not that I’m looking)
8:10 p.m.
Something’s disturbing the surface out there…
Later in the evening
I am pleased to report that the first popping survey was a success. Our stalwart group, braving the elements, was not left to search in vain for signs of life. In fact, some areas of the water were so active that it looked like rain falling (and this was before it had started to rain).
While we did not see an alewife breach the surface, the activity at the water’s surface was an encouraging sign. Our urban piscine pioneers just may be lurking nearby. Personally, I hope that they are consuming their fair share of Bronx River spiders.
This diary will continue to provide updates on the surveys and any other interesting events that occur during the course of our study.
—Marla
This project is made possible through Congressman Jose E. Serrano’s WCS/NOAA Regional Partnership. To learn more about this grant program, please click here.
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