Peter Gray Hatchery Update  
"Little athletes" ready for fin clipping at the Peter Gray Hatchery.
Peter Gray Hatchery technicians, Victoria and Ryan, getting ready to rock and roll.
Did you know that 2019 is the International Year of the Salmon? #YearoftheSalmon
Gooooooood morning all, and thank you for joining us once again for this update from the Peter Gray Parr Project ! September truly has flown by and October is right around the corner.

Early September saw some electrofishing with Maine Department of Marine Resources - Jonesboro crew. Electrofishing entails shocking a section of river, which temporarily stuns the fish in the area so they can be netted. Once netted, they are counted and the salmon have their length, weight, and a scale sample (for aging) taken. With this data we can asses how healthy the salmon are in that stretch of river as well as determine the relative density (amount) of salmon in that spot. A certain number of the parr (young salmon) that are captured then head for Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, where they will grow up to become the broodstock (egg source) for the Peter Gray Hatchery. For more detailed information on electrofishing, please click any of the hyper-linked words you see or visit our website here.

Compared to the previous three years, there were much higher water levels in the river system this year. However, it is pretty easy to have more water than we did during the drought conditions experienced in 2016-2018. Overall, 2019 was a more "normal" year as far as precipitation and river water levels go. Higher river levels give the salmon more water (and therefore more space) to live in and hopefully leads to more smolts in the spring! This increase in water can also impact electrofishing numbers as there is just more space for the fish to be spread out. Electrofishing results did indicate decent numbers in the East Machias River and we will bring you those results once the numbers are crunched.

The 2019 fin clipping operation has officially begun! It is that time of year again when we clip the adipose fin of each and every one of the salmon in the Peter Gray Hatchery. This is what identifies our salmon during future assessment operations like electrofishing and smolt trapping. Fin clipping is a large outreach event for the Peter Gray Parr Project and every year hundreds of students, community members, and other volunteers help us clip hundreds of thousands of fins. If you would like to help - please check out the information below on a couple evening clipping events. 2019 is also the International Year of the Salmon - so no better time to get involved!

Sorry for the short update, but there are fins to clip!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
Hatchery Technician, Victoria, clipping fins!
Hatchery technician, Ryan, and Assistant Hatchery Manager, Rachel, clipping fins!
We have some fin clipping event opportunities coming up in October (see below). Here are the links to the Facebook events for each one and stay tuned to your emails for more information!

https://www.facebook.com/events/3117879648254532/ (International Year of the Salmon fin clipping celebration event)



We hope to see you there!
Thank you for taking the time to read through our updates. If you are new to receiving these updates and would like to catch up on some you have missed, please visit our website here . If there are any of your friends you think would enjoy this content please share with them or let us know their email address to add to the list!

If you like the work we are doing, please considering donating towards the continuation of the Peter Gray Parr Project .

We hope this update finds you well and you enjoyed reading about the Peter Gray Parr Project. Thank you for all you have done, and continue to do, in the pursuit of Atlantic salmon restoration!
Kind Regards,

Peter Gray Hatchery Staff 
TAX DEDUCTION!
CHARITABLE DONATION!   
WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF TRUCKS!!!!
Are you a business owner or individual looking for a tax deduction in 2019? Looking to trade in your truck for a new one this year? Would you like a tax deduction at a value higher then you would get for your trade-in? Please consider donating that pickup to the Downeast Salmon Federation. The Downeast Salmon Federation is a 501-c3, so your truck donation will give you a tax deduction equivalent to the Kelly Blue Book private sale value of your truck. The only thing we ask is that the truck is mechanically sound, has an inspection sticker or would take one, and that the truck is 4 wheel drive.

Currently, we don’t have trucks to accomplish all of the important, boots-on-ground projects that are taken on each year. These tasks include stocking salmon, habitat restoration, assessment of projects, land stewardship along rivers, etc. If this is something you are interested in and want to help us better Downeast Maine’s ecosystems please contact zach@mainesalmonrivers.org or call 207-255-0676 . 
You can also support the Downeast Salmon Federation by purchasing some swag! Hats, sweatshirts, and t-shirts can be found HERE . Other ways to help are to become a member !
If you'd like to read more on the Peter Gray Parr Project 's beginnings and future please read our  Parr Project Booklet. 

There is a short Parr Project video on our website  HERE.
 Thank you to the Trout and Salmon Foundation for your continued support of the Peter Gray Parr Project !
Please support our work by becoming a member  of the Downeast Salmon Federation. Together, we can restore sea-run fisheries in Maine.