[AndyS]

June 3, 2011
Today I got to a chance to actually go inside the viewing room in the fish ladder on the Raritan river.
My two hosts were fisheries technicians from NJFG&W. Before going in I had to fill out the necessary volunteer paperwork with NJFG&W and register at the front gate with the New Jersey American Water Company. I found the whole operation really interesting. The ladder itself is a series of baffles and small rooms. The fish come in a narrow passage and enter a small room, then again and again, as many as eight small rooms and passages to complete their journey through the fish ladder. Towards the end of the fish ladder there is a viewing room with a glass wall and a camera inside. The two techs work hard in maintaining the camera, batteries, cleaning the viewing room glass, replacing the time lapse fish recording tapes, cleaning the white background and keeping the fish ladder clear of debris. It seems the toughest part is keeping the small passages within the fish ladder clear of debris, as things like tree branches and small logs get wedged within the fish ladder.
The two technicians said it has been a good year for both American and Gizzard shad from what they have seen on this years tapes. Along with shad, there have been trout, bass and walleye caught on film.
I can’t thank these guys enough for keeping the lines of communication open, they have been prompt and forthright in all their duties pertaining to the fish ladder.
I took a lot of photos and I’ll write in detail what each photo is after I post up.