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Field Trip The MLCI pontoon boat traveled to Indian Township the last week of August, 2002. For the first time, the plankton haul net did not pull up any recognizable zooplankton, even on repeated attempts. Where were the familiar zooplankton we were accustomed to seeing in our lakes? Then, surprisingly, in the benthic dredge, more phantom midges turned up than we'd seen before. When we consulted with Dr. Katherine Webster, the limnologist from the University of Maine, she informed us that we'd probably hit a crash cycle. The prey- the zooplankton, had diminished, because the voracious predators- the phantom midges, had been hungry. We'll be watching this predator prey relationship as we continue to go out on the boat in the spring right after ice out and in the fall right before ice on. For sketches and more interesting information related to these fascinating organisms go to: www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/gallery/phantom.html. For a color image of these larval glassworms, as they are sometimes called, go to: www.waterbugkey.vcsu.edu/Web_page_folders/Diptera_Web_pages/Larvae/Chaoboridae.htm.

The American Eel. The American eel is the only freshwater species in North America. Young eels live in the oceans for the first 1-3 years of life when they migrate upstream to inland freshwaters. Eels remain in the lakes and streams for about 15 years before returning to the ocean to spawn. A unique feature of the eels is thier ability to breathe air which allows them to move over land. Adult eels hide in the muddy bottoms of lakes during the day and becom active at night as they forage for food. In the past eels were a very important resource for the Passamaqoddy tribe, both economically and as a food source. Eels were abundant in Big Lake and still exists today alothough not as numerous. Eels were harvested in the summer. The Passamaquoddy built cages amd trapped the eels at night using lights to attract them. In modern times fishing lines are used as the eels respond to bait like other fish. The eels were then dried be being buried for 2-3 days or hung on the clotheslines. They were pften sold to tourists for as much as $10.00 for a large eel. As they were considered a delicacy. Traditionally the Passamaquoddies would coat the eels with cornbread and frythem( an interesting aspect in cooking eels is that you didnt have to turn them , they turned themselves!). Eels are also smoked and considered well flavored fish. We are looking for particualr recipes for eel. Any out there?

Crayfish In August of 2002, we found live crayfish in the much where we launched the Melinda Ann. We have since learned that crayfish are nocturnal feeders; so, if you look on a dock in the water with a flashlight, you should see some.