Field season could aptly be renamed the season of flexibility because you need to be fluid and adaptable to different scenarios that you might not have anticipated. This season has already been the perfect example.
This year we started our field season a week later than what is typical, mainly because the ice dictates when we can get into the field and set up camp. In the past we had to fill time in the office waiting for the ice to come off the lakes so this year we pushed back the start date to help with that.
Our field crew started orientation on May 19, and we planned to head into the field on May 23, but the ice had other plans. We had the crew help with another project on the road system and some office beautification tasks while we waited to hear about ice conditions.
Luckily, we were able to get out to Shell Lake on May 29, a day after the ice went out! We installed camp and completed some in the field training about sampling techniques.
When the weather does not cooperate
It rained off and on during our trip for four days and then it kept raining for a few weeks, causing the water level to rise.
This meant that the smolt weir was subject to increasing pressure from the outflow of Shell Lake and it also meant that the creek had more debris in it leading to even more pressure on the weir. All that pressure inevitably led to a blowout.
The crew has since spent a significant amount of time fixing the smolt weir to ensure it remained fish tight, meaning it’s catching fish and not missing any or in other words, there are no holes.
Adjusting plans
While the crew was spending so much of their time and energy to ensure the smolt weir remained operational and, in the creek, we made the decision to halt pike suppression efforts for a few days. This way they could check the weir more often, to try to mitigate some of the pressure on it by cleaning it more frequently. And it also allowed them to rest and recuperate after all the work repairing and counting at the weir overnight.
The water level has now dropped to lower than when we arrived and the smolt weir has caught the most fish since 2018! The crew has welcomed the break from weir repairs. Once they got a handle on the weir repairs and the water level started dropping, they started suppression efforts for northern pike.
You never know what’s going to come up
Weather seems to be the key factor when thinking about flexibility during field season but it’s not the only thing. Sometimes there might be a cow moose and a calf between you and your boat, so you head back to camp and wait a while before embarking on your daily tasks; or a bear on the path that makes you wait or take an alternate route; or an injured crew member needing to head back into civilization for a doctor visit; or we can’t schedule a flight when we would like because summer is a busy season for everyone.
The point is remaining flexible is the best option.
We spend the winter and spring months making plans and creating schedules but sometimes the weather just does not cooperate. There are a variety of things that happen that are outside of our control and all we can do is be flexible and roll with the punches to get the job done.
We do our best to mitigate most of the potential issues that may come up during the season but we really can’t plan for it all, so we keep a relaxed attitude and make do.
