Martha #27
The alewife Martha is named after Dr. Martha Mather (my advisor) of the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (USGS BRD). Martha was captured in the Ipswich Mills Dam box trap on April 27 and transported upstream to the Salem Road stocking site. She was last seen by the stationary receiver at Site 1 on May 16.
April 27, 4:39 pm: Martha is captured in the box trap near Site 2 (Ipswich Mills Dam). After being tagged, she is placed in a 100 gallon stock tank with other tagged fish and driven upstream to Topsfield. She is stocked back into her natal river soon after tagging..
April 30, 4:34 pm: After a few days spent out of range of the receivers, Martha is finally heard downstream of the stocking site by the receiver at Site 8 in the Audubon Sanctuary. She doesn't stay very long, and is out of range in less than ten minutes.
May 1, 11:13 am: Martha has continued to head downstream, and by the next morning is heard by the receiver at Site7. She doesn't stay in range very long, but continues moving down the river.
May 1, 12:41 pm: Martha arrives at the Willowdale Dam, Site 6. It takes her a half hour to pass by this site, and then she continues downstream quickly.
May 1, 1:37 pm: Not long after leaving Site 6, Martha is heard by the receiver at Site 5, where the river is deeper and narrower. She swims very quickly through this area.
May 1, 2:32 pm: Martha arrives at the fast flowing waters near Site 4, but again she doesn't stay long! She passes by this site in just a few minutes..
May 1, 3:51 pm: May Day has been a busy day for Martha! She arrives at the slower flowing waters of Site 3, and then spends nearly an hour near the receiver.
May 1, 7:38 pm: About four hours later, Martha is picked up by the receiver at Site 2, the approximate location where she was trapped and tagged in April. In a short while she's heading back downstream.
May 1, 7:56 pm: Martha arrives to the last receiver in the array at Site 1. She is within range only about 10 minutes. It's been a quick trip down the river, but this isn't the last time Martha will be heard...
May 12, 6:21 am: Martha returns to the receiver at Site 1 a week and a half after we last heard her. She spends the morning in range of the receiver, then heads out of listening range by 10:06 am. Perhaps she is following the tides?
May 13, 7:04 am: Martha returns the following day to Site 1, and stays in range again until about 10:15. We don't hear her on the stationary receivers for the next two days.
May 15, 6:02 pm: We do, however, hear Martha on a manual receiver, pointed from land towards the river. We walk from the Ipswich Outboard Club boat ramps down to the Ipswich Town Wharf, and the signals get stronger as we move downstream. We locate Martha's signal, and signals from ten other fish, at the Ipswich Town Wharf. We observe splashing at the surface of the water as dusk draws in.
May 16, 10:00 am: Martha is picked up by the receiver at Site 1 again. She stays in range about an hour, and we intercept her as she makes an interesting move...
May 16, 11:55 am: Martha is in Nancy's Pond, near the shoreline. She's on her way upstream.
May 16, 4:29 pm: The downstream antenna at Site 2, near the Ipswich Mills Dam, picks up Martha's signal. She stays below the dam for about an hour, then heads back downstream.
May 16, 5:59 pm: Martha reaches Site 1 about forty minutes after departing from Site 2. She is last picked up by the receiver at Site 1 at 6:27 pm, and this is Martha's last time heard by a stationary receiver.