Students study determines fish population at Bluff Valley Park

BESSEMER - Bessemer biology students have been netting Bluff Valley Pond in Bessemer annually since 2015.

The collaborative event involves 10th grade students in biology teacher David Rowe's classes, Mark Mylchreest of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and aquatic lab manager and Bessemer alumnus Roger Greil. 

"When the project started, no one even knew if there were fish in the pond. Now four years later, students have captured, measured, released and tagged fish in a multi-year study that never seems to stop providing surprises," Rowe said.

"The students realize that what they are doing is real science and that the adults involved in the project don't know the answers ahead of time. The findings will help determine the future of the pond," Rowe said. 

In this year's study, nets were put out on a Sunday in early October and then checked on both Monday and Tuesday.

During the two-day lab, students worked with fisheries technician Mylchreest to remove fish from the nets and place them in a holding tank.

Once the boat reached shore, the fish were placed in another holding tank, where they were then removed, categorized according to species and measured.

After measuring, fins were clipped or tagged fish were then released back into the pond.

On the second day, nets were again checked and students counted how many fish had clipped fins or tags. The numbers were then used to determine a population estimate.

Students estimated there are 180 pumpkinseed sunfish between 3 and 7 inches long and 503 suckers between 5 and 16 inches long in the pond.

"In years past, we used a net with smaller holes and had so many fish that it was difficult to count and process them. This year, we used a net with holes that were three-fourths of an inch and many of the smaller fish were able to escape," Rowe said.  

No brook trout were caught. "This was the first year when we didn't catch any brook trout in the survey, but it could possibly be explained with the bigger holes in the netting that allowed the small trout to escape," Rowe said. 

There was also a bit of a surprise with the tagged fish. Students noted there was very minimal growth and speculated it was because of having so many fish in the small, shallow pond.

Three suckers measured 16 inches. "In this pond, a big fish is an old fish because they don't grow very rapidly due to limited space and food," Rowe said.  

Greil and Mylchreest shared life experiences with the students and tried to encourage them to find a career that they are passionate about.

Mylchreest has worked in fisheries for more than 30 years. "I have fun every day at work and I use math every day on the job," he said.

Griel told students, "I have been at Lake Superior State University for more than 30 years and I got into fisheries because I loved the outdoors and I love fish and fishing."

Sophomore Kailyn Fingeroos said, "One of the many things I learned was how to tag a fish correctly.  I learned that you need to put the tag on at an angle so that the tag doesn't interfere with how the fish swims."

Sophomore Kayla Kahila said, "I learned how a net works by blocking fish from swimming and that the fish follow the lead until they are trapped in a holding net." Rowe said an ultimate goal is to have the pond excavated and turned into a fishing hole for the community and a living laboratory for students.

Rowe praised cooperation of the city of Bessemer, MDNR, Lake Superior State University, U.S. Forest Service and Gogebic Conservation District. "I find it very gratifying to have so many talented and knowledgable people come together to help our youth to learn about the outdoors and to teach values that will follow students for the rest of their lives," he said.