Peter Gray Hatchery Update  
2019 Peter Gray Hatchery staff. Thank you to USFWS (Craig Brook and Green Lake National Fish Hatcheries) for the stocking trucks. (Photo credit - Nathan)
Washington Academy students lending a hand fin clipping!
Elm Street Elementary students getting some fin clipping in. #YearoftheSalmon
Good day all, and thank you for joining us once again for this update from the Peter Gray Parr Project! Man o'man...what a busy month! You know it is a good month when all the salmon get fin clipped, stocked in the river, you start redd counts and see some redds!

In early October we clipped the adipose fin off every single salmon at the Peter Gray Hatchery. This was accomplished with help from many community members and a bunch of students from around Maine. Schools that helped included: the Cobscook Community Learning Center, Machias Memorial High School, Rose M. Gaffney Elementary, Washington Academy, George Stevens Academy, Elm Street School, Alexander Elementary, University of Maine at Machias, and Unity College. Peter Gray Parr Project partners like US Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine DMR - Jonesboro, and NOAA - Northeast Fisheries Science Center - also helped fin clip! 771.5 total volunteer hours were put into this effort with just as many, or more, staff hours to match. Thank you to all that helped.

After clipping comes stocking. It is a most wonderful time of year (did you just start singing the Christmas song too?) where we put the "little athletes" into the river so they can begin their journey in the wild. Once again we received help from some of the same schools that helped clip the fish. Also, we couldn't get the fish out with the USFWS generously lending us a couple of their stocking trucks! A big thank you also goes out to the landowners that allow us to use their roads and properties to stock the fish. In total 226,348 salmon were released this year. This is the largest stocking for the Peter Gray Parr Project to date!

We have also started looking for the redds, or nests, that the salmon make in the rivers and have already counted more redds to date (18) then we did all last year (10). Redd counting is how we assess how many adult salmon returned to the East Machias River to spawn. Stay tuned for more updates on redd counting!

If we forgot to thank anyone by name we apologize, but as always a very big thank you to all that help the Peter Gray Parr Project continue.

Please enjoy all the pictures from fin clipping and stocking in this update!

" Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."
- George S. Patton
Cobscook Community Learning Center (CCLC) students fin clipping.
Victoria and Ryan doing sample weights of our "little athletes" in preparation for stocking.
Filling the stocking trucks with water.
Rachel, Ryan, and Victoria with more sample weights. (photo credit for this picture and many others to Julie)
University of Maine @ Machias students stocking in Northern Stream.
UMM stocking bucket brigade.
Loading buckets at Pokey Dam with Unity College students.
Beaverdam Steam.
Say cheese!
Loading salmon for the trucks.
Bucket o' salmon.
Bucket o'salmon in the river!
It rained a lot a couple days.
Ryan, the man, the myth, the legend carrying buckets of fish to stock!
I see you salmon...
Nathan came and spent a day filming some stocking activities!
Stocking salmon from the USFWS truck!
Yay...stocking!
Northern Stream.
Ryan with a classic bucket pour to stock Beaverdam Stream.
Beaverdam Stream.
Beaverdam Stream.
Victoria adding "little athletes" to their natural habitat!
Sooo tired...just a little break by the river.
Queen of the datasheets!
Beaverdam Stream.
Loading out fish.
Watching them into the bucket.
Tanks getting low!
Is that Bigfoot?
Waiting on fish!
1...2...6...10...14...20!
Dang uphill climbs!
Thank you for taking the time to read through our updates. If you are new to receiving these updates and would like to catch up on some you have missed, please visit our website here . If there are any of your friends you think would enjoy this content please share with them or let us know their email address to add to the list!

If you like the work we are doing, please considering donating towards the continuation of the Peter Gray Parr Project .

We hope this update finds you well and you enjoyed reading about the Peter Gray Parr Project. Thank you for all you have done, and continue to do, in the pursuit of Atlantic salmon restoration!
Kind Regards,

Peter Gray Hatchery Staff 
TAX DEDUCTION!
CHARITABLE DONATION!   
WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF TRUCKS!!!!
Are you a business owner or individual looking for a tax deduction in 2019? Looking to trade in your truck for a new one this year? Would you like a tax deduction at a value higher then you would get for your trade-in? Please consider donating that pickup to the Downeast Salmon Federation. The Downeast Salmon Federation is a 501-c3, so your truck donation will give you a tax deduction equivalent to the Kelly Blue Book private sale value of your truck. The only thing we ask is that the truck is mechanically sound, has an inspection sticker or would take one, and that the truck is 4 wheel drive.

Currently, we don’t have trucks to accomplish all of the important, boots-on-ground projects that are taken on each year. These tasks include stocking salmon, habitat restoration, assessment of projects, land stewardship along rivers, etc. If this is something you are interested in and want to help us better Downeast Maine’s ecosystems please contact zach@mainesalmonrivers.org or call 207-255-0676 . 
You can also support the Downeast Salmon Federation by purchasing some swag! Hats, sweatshirts, and t-shirts can be found HERE . Other ways to help are to become a member !
If you'd like to read more on the Peter Gray Parr Project 's beginnings and future please read our  Parr Project Booklet. 

There is a short Parr Project video on our website  HERE.
 Thank you to the Trout and Salmon Foundation for your continued support of the Peter Gray Parr Project !
Please support our work by becoming a member  of the Downeast Salmon Federation. Together, we can restore sea-run fisheries in Maine.