Rather than a typical “hatch chart”, HFF’s hatch timing calculations are based on accumulation of thermal units in the aquatic ecosystem. Different species hatch after accumulation of a given number of thermal units, with earlier hatching species requiring fewer and later species needing more (i.e. a species requiring 100 degree days will hatch earlier than one requiring 200 degree days). Also, warmer water temperatures allow accumulation of thermal units to happen quicker. Using thermal units as a gage allows us to predict timing compared to average.
So, we report the number of days difference between average accumulation of thermal units and what has actually happened based on water temperatures since the beginning of the aquatic growing season (approximately April 1st).
For example, when we report hatch timing is “within 1 day of average”, that means that all of the species that normally hatch around this time of year will be hatching at roughly their normal time. And “average” is based on the aquatic insect data we have, spanning 2014-2024.
Our next step is to scientifically compare these calculations with insect observations in the field, which will require a massive sampling effort and 3 or 4 years of field work. To be continued.
To view HFF’s Hatch Timing website, click below.
To learn more about HFF’s expansive aquatic insect monitoring program, AIM for Healthy Rivers, click below.
I know my last blog post left you on the edge of your seat. Today I’m going to answer the question that has doubtlessly been on everyone’s minds: did I catch a fish? Let me tell you, it was getting down to the wire. I’d been out many times with the incredibly patient Claude, to no avail. Not even a bite. Claude’s patience was really commendable as I stubbornly, astoundingly refused to improve.
As my time here at the foundation wraps up, I have been doing a lot of reflection. As such, I have concluded that the amount you can learn in one summer internship is unrivaled. It can range from scientific technical skills to office interpersonal skills, and anywhere in between. Some things are self-explanatory, and some are learned through trial and error. This range is what makes internships so valuable. I’ve compiled a list of the
Putting in the hours. Credit: Estelle Edwards Fish are omnipresent. Whether Claude’s talking about his latest catch, an angler is asking me what fly to use (I don’t know), or I’m taking Utah suckers out of gillnets, I am drowning in fish… but I have never caught one. I have yet to be blessed with a bite on a Parachute Adams, Zebra Midge, or Montreal Whore, but thanks to fishing-adjacent research experiences, I’ve gotten a
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