Herring Count Online Volunteer Training
Thank you for your interest in volunteering to help with this important work! If you would like to take part in the 2025 Herring Count, the first step is to sign up and attend volunteer training sessions.
Every volunteer is required to attend (or watch) a virtual training AND one in-person training. In the virtual training, we'll walk you through the steps to identify these fish and conduct the counts. During your in-person training, we'll take you to the two counting locations and review counting procedures.
Once you RSVP to this online training, you will receive a link to the online meeting 48 hours before the training. This online training will be recorded for volunteers who cannot attend the live, virtual session. If you plan to watch the recording, please RSVP as a maybe so that you will get the recording of the virtual session!
The training will be led by Sara Grady, Ph.D., the Watershed Ecologist with North and South Rivers Watershed Association and the South Shore Regional Coordinator with Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership. This project at Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary is a collaboration between Mass Audubon Southeast, Living Observatory, Mass Bays, North and South Rivers Watershed Alliance, Responsive Environments Group at the MIT Media Lab, and the Town of Plymouth.
About This Position
River Herring, Alewife and Blueback Herring are anadromous fish or migratory fish that live in the ocean and move into our rivers, lakes and ponds, including Beaver Dam Brook and Fresh Pond, to spawn as adults. The juvenile fish then return to the estuaries and then to the ocean to live as adults. Herring counting helps document the number of herring coming to spawn in the stream to help research on the restoration project.
Training will be provided. Time commitment is once a week for 10 minutes, on a scheduled day and time, for the length of the season.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Count the river herring migrating up Beaver Dam Brook from a bridge in the sanctuary
- Count the river herring for designated days and times from end of March to early June
- Record count information and enter in database
Qualifications
- Passionate about migratory fish and other wildlife or are interested in learning more
- Observant and like to view animals
- Interested in collecting data and want to make an impact by documenting river herring
- Enthusiastic and dependable
- Can work individually and collaboratively
- No formal training or experience is required to become a Herring Count Volunteer
- Training and guidance will be provided.
- All volunteers need to pass a background records check (CORI and SORI)
More Information
For more information about the Herring Count Project please visit the Tidmarsh Herring Count Project Webpage: Tidmarsh Herring Count Project (massaudubon.org)
