Electrofishing with TVA- by Ashley-Rose L.

After scheduling and canceling due to weather and rescheduling again several times, the River Fellows were finally able to go electroshocking with Kurt Lakin and associates from TVA. We weren’t exactly sure what electrofishing was, but we were excited to find out and hopefully catch some big fish! We soon found out that it is a way to catch fish that sends an electric current about 7-8 feet wide through the water to stun the fish before they are caught with nets. TVA uses this type of fishing as a surveying method used to accurately determine fish population in the rivers, as well as determine if the fish are healthy or not.  

While this shock doesn’t permanently harm the fish (it causes their muscles to tense and air bladders fill with air so they float up), we were warned that if we were to touch the water while the shock was being distributed, we could be injured.  

 Ashley-Rose, Hannah, Amanda, and Mrs. Couch were the first group that got to go in the electrofishing boat while Sarah, Anna, and I watched from another boat. It was really entertaining to see them pull up the heavy fish with their nets and try to dump them in a water filled bin that was in the boat without getting the others soaked. 

Ashley-Rose almost took the people in her boat out with the long pole of her net several times. Amanda caught prize fish their run: a huge Blue Catfish. We then drove over to the electrofishing boat to see what fish they had caught. There were several varieties of fish: Small Mouthed Basses, Red Breast Sunfish, and more!.

Instead of fishing near the rocks this time, Anna, Sarah, and I got to fish near McClellan Island. Because we were exploring a different kind of fish habitat, we caught several different kinds of fish than the previous group. We also got to see a tiny turtle in the water and family of mallard ducks.

Before this, I had never noticed or appreciated the bright, beautiful colors that fish have on their scales. It was so fun to go electrofishing with the guys from TVA and I hope we can do it again soon!