Henry Roller, Junior Environmental Studies and Biology major, shares about their internship with Salmon Valley Stewardship’s Fisheries and Ecological Monitoring Intern in Salmon, Idaho
“My name is Henry Roller, and I am a rising junior majoring in Environmental Studies and Biology. This summer I am Salmon Valley Stewardship’s Fisheries and Ecological Monitoring Intern in Salmon, Idaho!
In my internship, I have been joining various agencies and partners to gain experience with the skills necessary for a career in fisheries management. In this blog post, I will recall my first time participating in a snorkel survey with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Snorkel surveys involve swimming/crawling upstream in a river or stream, while looking for and counting different fish species.
I stood on the bank of a small stream which eventually feeds into the Salmon River. Wearing a thick black wetsuit, I was sweating in the heat of the 90 degree day. I was excited to get in the water, to escape the heat of the unrelenting sun. The members of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game crew I was joining measured the width of my fist and the distance between my outstretched thumb and pinky finger, and explained how to use these numbers to estimate fish length. During this time of the year, the fish we expect to see are young ones, between 2-12 inches.
“Ready to snorkel?” our crew lead asked. I gave a thumbs up and laid down in the cold, spring-fed stream. My body was shocked by the temperature, and I quickly came up for air, afraid to rely on the snorkel.
“What is the best way to breathe through the mouthpiece?” I asked, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do so.
“Just take deep breaths. Trust that the snorkel will work. You got this,” another crew member said.
I put the mouthpiece back in, took long deep breaths while kneeling in the stream, then I laid back down. Again, the cold water was a shock, but this time I stayed in the water. I calmed my quick breathing, and began to draw long, deep breaths through the snorkel and mouthpiece. For the first time, I took a good look around me, marveling at the underwater world.
Lush green grasses waved as the water ran past them. Bubbles of oxygen clung to rocks. I looked to my left, towards the bank, and saw a cluster of dead branches creating a pool of slow moving water, providing habitat for fish to rest and hide. The water was astoundingly clear. I could see so much color, so much life, right in front of me! What an amazing sight!
“Ready to go?” our crew lead asked. The other snorkeler and I looked at each other underwater, and gave a thumbs up. I began to slowly move upstream, pulling myself against the current. My eyes scanned the water ahead of me, looking for fish. I saw movement. A tiny fish right in front of me, maybe about two feet upstream. A young rainbow trout! I held out my fist, and estimated the size of the fish. Sticking my head out of the water, I removed my mouthpiece and called out, “4 inch rainbow!”
“Got it!” our crew lead responded, following us with a clipboard in hand.
We continued snorkeling through our 100 meter transect, counting and estimating the size of fish as we encountered them. I saw lots of brook trout, a good amount of rainbow trout, and even a few of my favorite species, Chinook salmon!
After about 30 minutes, our crew lead called out, “That’s it! End of the 100 meters. Nice job guys!” Before exiting the stream, I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the underwater world. Looking from above, a stream looks flat and repetitive. But from underwater, you can see the remarkable diversity of deep pools and shallow riffles, areas of intense sunlight and areas of dark shade, the brilliant green radiating from grasses and algae, and dozens of fish darting around.
I popped out of the stream, and took out my mouthpiece. I was shivering from the cold water, despite the wetsuit, but nonetheless was smiling from ear to ear.
“That was awesome!” I exclaimed, looking forward to the next snorkeling transect.”