Program Benefits
• Flotilla 72 is performing an important community service in protecting the marine environment, especially the finfish and shellfish resources within its area of operation.
• By conducting this program, the Flotilla is contributing to a better understanding of the dynamics of water circulation in Long Island Sound. This information has proven to be of great interest to the Fisheries Division of DEEP.
• Participants get hands-on training in coastal water quality management not normally available in the Auxiliary’s crew training program.
• By collecting data on water quality Flotilla 72 fulfills a role that no other group has the capabilities to provide. While civilian volunteers working with HarborWatch conduct sampling along the river reach the Flotilla is in the unique position of being able to conduct sampling operations in open water.
In the last year the number of stations being monitored has doubled, as has team efficiency. Time to conduct a sampling cycle has improved from about 20-25 minutes per station to 10-15 minutes. This past season the Flotilla has also augmented its program by collecting water samples at 10 sites for biological analysis by HarborWatch.
HarborWatch has presented Flotilla 72 with certificates of appreciation for its work for three consecutive years. This year the Flotilla also received a certificate of appreciation from the University of Connecticut, Department of Marine Sciences, for its role in assisting one of its graduate students in collecting scientific data on salinity variations over a three-month period. HarborWatch also announced that the multi-year monitoring data collected by Flotilla 72 had been incorporated in a special research report on Norwalk Harbor prepared by the University of Maryland.
Water Quality Monitoring
in 2015
During the 2015 boating season Flotilla 72 collected water quality data in the outer harbor between Fairfield and Scott Cove in Darien. The 10 stations that were monitored were selected to catch any spikes in pollutant levels coming from western Long Island Sound and from Five Mile and Norwalk river discharge.
Monitoring patrols were conducted weekly between mid-June and early September. While readings were obtained for six parameters, the key parameter was dissolved oxygen (DO). Results show that DO levels in the outer harbor ranged from a low of slightly above 5 mg/l to a high of around 10 mg/l. Fair to very good readings. At none of the 10 stations did DO levels pose a threat to fish or shellfish resources. This is in contrast to DO levels in the upper reach of the Norwalk River where DO levels often fell to zero mg/l, a condition resulting in hypoxia and asphyxiation for finfish.
Strengthening Partnership Relations
The partnership with HarborWatch has strengthened over the past years and, by every indication, is in good shape to continue into the future. One of the objectives of this past year has been to strengthen training and increase participation in the monitoring program by Flotilla members. Member participation has been excellent and there is a strong bench to rely on for continued support and leadership.
In June of 2015 Earthplace, HarborWatch and the Integration & Application Network at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science published the Norwalk Harbor Report Card. Since 2006 Flotilla 72 has collected data in the Coastal Water areas for Earthplace and HarborWatch, which helped determine this score.
Click here to see the Report Cards for Long Island Sound.
Flotilla 72's 2016 Staff Officer for Marine Safety (FSO-MS) is Eric Riznyk. If there are any questions about the work Flotilla 72 is doing in this program, please contact Eric by clicking here.
20 OVER THE BOW - Spring 2016