pilot projects

stream flow

river Herring

salt marsh health

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Pilot Projects

The Coalition recently embarked on three exciting new pilot projects aimed at providing a better understanding of ecological changes in the Bay and its watershed. Guided by recommendations by the Coalition’s Research Committee, these long-term initiatives—which focus on monitoring stream flow, river herring, and salt marshes—will gather important new data while expanding the Coalition’s commitment to engaging volunteers who are interested in learning about and protecting the Bay.

Contact Tony Williams, Director of Monitoring Programs at 508-999-6363, ext. 203 if you are interested in volunteering in any of our new programs.

Stream Flow in the Mattapoisett River and Acushnet River

Coalition staff, along with volunteers from the Towns of Mattapoisett and Rochester, are tracking water flow at three stream flow gauges on the Mattapoisett River. The project is part of a joint effort between the Coalition, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s River Instream Flow Stewards (RIFLS) program, and residents from the Towns of Mattapoisett and Rochester. We are also now monitoring the Acushnet River and looking for residents from Acushnet and New Bedford to volunteer.

Volunteers will make daily visits year-round to record the height of the river and monitor water temperature. This data will help in developing a model to track how much water the river has flowing through it and will assist towns in long-term planning for the protection of the Mattapoisett and Acushnet Rivers. Flow is a function of the water volume and velocity and is affected by both nature and by humans-induced changes including the removal of shoreline vegetation, and water withdrawals for irrigation and drinking water.

View real-time streamflow data for the Paskamansett River and Mattapoisett River from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System (NWIS). Data include comprehensive site characteristic information, well-construction details, time-series data for gauge height, streamflow, ground-water level, precipitation, and physical and chemical properties of water.

Herring in the Agawam River

The Coalition is its second year of  monitoring river herring populations in Wareham’s Agawam River. Herring have been an important food source for people, sportfish, and the region’s Roseate Terns, a federally endangered species, throughout the Bay’s history. A dramatic decline has recently been observed in river herring populations, one of the few remaining anadromous fish species in Buzzards Bay.

Our 2003 State of the Bay report notes historical herring catch records for rivers like the Mattapoisett where in 1921, there were 1.85 million herring caught. The total for the past 3 years is less than 100,000 fish in the Mattapoisett River. The decline in river herring can be traced to the damming of rivers, filling of spawning ponds, degradation of water quality, and alterations to pond and river flows.

The Agawam River supports one of the largest existing fish runs in Buzzards Bay, yet migrating fish populations in the river have never been consistently monitored. Coalition staff, along with The Wareham Herring Agents and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries are investigating the installation an electronic fish counter in the Agawam River fish run. From March through May, volunteers record water temperature and daily counting for this survey. 

This year, we began monitoring herring populations in the Wankinko River and we hope to add a third site next year. Expansion of this pilot project calls for the expansion of river herring monitoring at stream and fish ladder runs throughout the watershed. Bay-wide river herring data will help decision makers resolve the problem of declining populations through methods such as dam removal, fish ladder improvements, reductions in water withdrawal for agriculture and municipal drinking water wells, as well as local and offshore herring regulations and protection.

What Can You Do?

• Urge your town to accelerate dam removal and fish ladder improvements on herring rivers.
  
  
• Towns can closely monitor water withdrawals by municipal drinking water wells and cranberry bogs to prevent low-flow conditions from harming herring runs.
  
  
• Encourage your community to expand monitoring of herring runs.
  
  
• Observe local herring regulations and support town and state efforts to improve fish passage.
  
  
• Reduce pollution and run-off from entering Rivers and the Bay.
  
  
• Volunteer or support those who do.

COMING SOON! - Salt Marsh Monitoring

Three field sites will be identified for a volunteer-based program to monitor the health of Buzzards Bay salt marsh ecosystems. Monitoring will provide data to understand the impacts of sprawl development, nitrogen pollution, and habitat loss on Bay marshes. Coalition staff will run a trial monitoring program with volunteers at one of the locations. The goal is to train volunteers in parameters of salt marsh identification for yearly monitoring of marsh health at each field location.