A day on the river

Posted 8/21/12

I grew up on the Delaware River, almost literally (on River Road), and often went swimming, kayaking, canoeing, tubing, snorkeling, sun bathing, you name it. However, I am far from a river expert; so …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

A day on the river

Posted

I grew up on the Delaware River, almost literally (on River Road), and often went swimming, kayaking, canoeing, tubing, snorkeling, sun bathing, you name it. However, I am far from a river expert; so when I had the opportunity to do a river trip with the National Park Service (NPS) I knew I would be learning a lot.

I joined the NPS for World Fish Migration Day, an event celebrated worldwide to view shad fish as they migrate upstream, held on May 21. We would be keeping our eyes out for the American shad as they make their way upriver to spawn, having made a long journey from the Atlantic Ocean. Our river guide was NPS Chief of Natural Resources Management Don Hamilton, and I sat in the canoe with him. Others joined the trip, such as a married couple from Wellsboro, PA who work for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and are experts in mussels, along with their three-year-old daughter, someone from the Canoe Safety Patrol, the new Upper Delaware Council Resource Specialist Pete Golod, and others. Although we didn’t see many shad (I think there were eight in all), we learned from the experts like Hamilton and the USGS people about so much more.

We paddled from Callicoon, NY to Milanville, PA, an eight-mile trip. We met at the NPS Headquarters in Milanville and took the kayaks and canoes to the Damascus, PA boating access. I borrowed a life jacket from NPS, and as I was strapping it on I noticed something attached to the chest. “Is that a…” My voice trailed off as they finished my sentence for me—a knife. “It’s for if you run into any bears, or want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” someone joked. I felt prepared.

I learned a lot about what sits at the very bottom of the river to what flies high above it. But since this trip was about shad, I’ll start there. Shad are anadromous fish, meaning they migrate from the sea up into fresh water to spawn, such as salmon or striped bass. The sexually mature American shad enter coastal rivers in spring or early summer, usually when the river water has warmed to 50 to 55°F. Now is prime viewing time, and others on the trip said they have seen a school of shad with over 100 fish.

The American shad has been described as “the fish that fed the nation’s founders,” and George Washington often ate shad. Indeed, they can be eaten, although they have a lot of small bones. They have a delicate flavor when cooked, and their roe is considered delicious by some, though it does not taste at all like the roes used for caviar. Adult shad weigh between three and eight pounds. Hamilton cited the book “The Founding Fish” by John McPhee who lives in Milanville.

During the trip, Hamilton pointed out the nests of lamprey eels called “redds.” You can identify them because they use overturned rocks to build a mound, which is a different color than the rest of the river bottom. We even saw a lamprey eel in one of the redds. (I started to wish I wasn’t gaining so much knowledge about what lurks in the river.) We saw an eagle in a tree, and many geese with baby geese, goslings. The three-year-old inquired, “Do geeses fly?”

The spring spawning run of American shad is a timeless ritual, one that has taken place in the Delaware River for the past 10,000 years. An ancient and impressive wildlife migration is occurring in our midst. And I thank the NPS for allowing me to be a part of it.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here