When I went to the Bioblitz event, my group was taken to a pond that was a 10 minute walk from Alley Pond Park. At this pond, we met two women who worked for the DEP studying fish in New York City. They taught us about the different types of fish that live in freshwater ponds around the city, and we were taught how to properly use a fishing rod. Our job was to fish and catalog what kind and how many fish we found.
One of the women from the DEP informed us about the build up of algae around the edges of the pond. She explained that the water in the pond came from the New York City municipal water source which had been treated with phosphorous and caused algae to grow more than normally, just like what was discussed in class. She warned us not to touch the any of the algae, or wash our hands immediately after if we did because the algae could be toxic. Because of the vegetation around the ponds it was difficult to cast a line far past the algae. This makes me wonder that maybe not many fish were caught because they had been harmed by the algae or they knew to stay in the middle of the pond, away from the algae.
Real life example of phosphorus in the water contributing to algae growth #bcsfh2o pic.twitter.com/NHMPmZBcqg
— Daisy Waltermaurer (@DWaltermaurer) September 12, 2017
