 "Get Hooked on Massachusetts" |
Monday, June 20, 2011
Puffer's Pond Fish Population Survey and Behavioral Traits Part II Fishing Trip 4 – 6/12/11 (3:30 – 5:00 PM, Overcast, 58áµ’ F, Fish Activity: Slow)
Dissolved Oxygen Content
Based on the data and observations collected during the four fishing trips at Puffer’s Pond, it is clear that among all of the environmental factors during the experiment, the dissolved oxygen content had the greatest impact on the activity of the fish. Considering that the saturation of the dissolved oxygen was at 19% when the fish were extremely active, and the saturation was at a mere 8% when the fish were inactive, the dissolved oxygen content of the water is directly proportional to the fish activity. Also, the fish were affected by the amount of sunlight at the time of the fishing trip, since the fish were much more active with some shady spots to hide in instead of an evenly lit water surface across the pond. Air temperature and water temperature had little to do with the fish behavior, seeing that the fish would bite during any temperature.
The results that were recorded in the fish population survey of Puffer’s Pond give light to much broader implications, and even insights on how the biodiversity recovery in the Mill River Corridor can be successful in other industrial revolution ecological recoveries. Since the fish population and quality of the biodiversity has responded very well over the last century to the extreme pollution of the industrial era, the regulations by conservationists have clearly had a great effect on the quality of life in North Amherst. Based on the recovery of the fish population in the pond and the overall beauty of the area from once a industrialized river, other places in the world can use the Mill River corridor as an example for future industrial cleanups to maintain the level of biodiversity and beauty found at the Cushman Brook, the Mill River, and Puffer’s Pond.
Posted at 08:14 PM
Monday, June 20, 2011
Puffer's Pond Fish Popuation Survey and Behavioral Traits
After two centuries of booming industry in the form of gristmills, sawmills, and paper mills along the Mill River Corridor, it is incredible that the biodiversity in Puffer’s Pond has made an impressive recovery with a multitude of fish species. Puffer’s Pond is the central recreational natural amenity in North Amherst, Massachusetts that has served as the defining piece of the town for hundreds of years. As the largest open body of water in Amherst, this pond has served as a focal point for fishing, birding, hiking, canoeing and nature walking. Puffer’s Pond spans eleven acres with an average depth of five feet and a maximum depth of more than twenty feet. The pond is fed by the Cushman Brook, which flows down from the hills of Shutesbury and the Atkins Reservoir, which empties into the pond. After the water makes its way through the entry canal, the water then flows through the pond and eventually over the Puffer’s Pond dam, which feeds the Mill River. The Cushman Brook, Puffer’s Pond, and the Mill River combine to form the Mill River Corridor, the greenbelt conservation area that spans across the Mill River flood plain. Preserving the biodiversity of Puffer’s Pond has been a primary focus of local conservationists; in fact, the Town of Amherst has been laboring to protect the Mill River corridor and its important habit from further industrial development. The beauty that Puffer’s Pond has bestowed to Amherst needs to be maintained, and regulations have been set in place to protect the landscape from any damage.
The most fascinating aspect of the recovery is the ability for the fish population to function as if there were no environmental disasters along the banks of the surrounding rivers and the pond itself. The full recovery made by the fish population is astonishing, and clearly an aspect of biology worth investigating further. Using a fishing rod and bait combination that has the ability to catch a wide variety of fish, the survey of the fish species in the pond was conducted by catching as many fish as possible under varying circumstances. After each fish was caught, it was measured and weighed, and a wide variety of observations and measurements were recorded to make for a very in depth survey. The results of this survey reveal that the pond is very diversified by sustaining at least four fish species, as well as a number of other creatures that make for an ecosystem with a high quality of biodiversity. Among the several environmental factors tested in the survey, the dissolved oxygen content in the water has the greatest effect on the fish activity levels. The Puffer’s Pond recovery should serve as an example for other freshwater biodiversity recoveries after industrial pollution, and the conservation and management of this beautiful environment must be commended. The following data is the culmination of the four fishing trips made to Puffer's Pond in North Amherst, as well as the data of the dissolved oxygen content of the water at the time of fishing compared to the level of fish activity: Fishing Trip 1 – 6/5/11 (3:30 – 5:00 PM, Overcast with some sun, 70áµ’ F, Fish Activity: Highly Active)
Catch Number Species Length/Weight Location Time Observations 1 Pumpkinseed 6 inches/6 ounces Across from South Beach 4:01 PM Little Struggle, Very Calm 2 Bluegill 6 inches/5 ounces Across from South Beach 4:12 PM Very Close to Shore, Shallow 3 Pumpkinseed 4 inches/3 ounces Across from South Beach 4:15 PM Never Held, Fish Barely out of the Water 4 Bluegill 4 inches/3 Ounces Northeastern Ledge 4:41 PM Fell off onto ground, very small fish, relatively deep 10-12 feet offshore, put up good fight
Fishing Trip 2 – 6/11/11 (5:00 – 6:00 PM, Overcast, 68áµ’ F, Fish Activity: Highly Active)
Fishing Trip 3 – 6/12/11 (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM, Overcast, 62áµ’ F, Fish Activity: Slow)
Fishing Trip 4 – 6/12/11 (3:30 – 5:00 PM, Overcast, 58áµ’ F, Fish Activity: Slow)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Developed by USFishFinder.com Copyright ©2007-2017. All Rights Reserved. Site Optimized for Google Chrome Browser MAFishFinder.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.   
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
