Friday, Aug. 07, 2009

Here’s my nominee for best summer job

By Ken Robertson, Herald Executive Editor

“The gods do not deduct from a man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing,” according to the ancient Babylonian proverb.

Does it count if you get paid to go fishing?

No matter. It still would be sweet work. And it’s just what employees of Environmental Assessment Services have been doing this summer on the Hanford Reach.

They’re working for the Department of Energy and other regulatory agencies to gather information needed to determine the extent of contamination in the Columbia River, especially Hanford chemicals or radionuclides that could harm anyone who eats the fish.

Sturgeon, walleye, whitefish, suckers, carp and bass are on their list of 530 fish to be taken for the survey, which will examine the fishes’ organs and flesh for various contaminants.

Likely the best part of the whole job is catching the walleye, which require the same gear a typical angler would use. Not commercial set lines like those used for the sturgeon or electrofishing, which is being used for the carp, suckers and whitefish.

Herald reporter Annette Cary and photographer Bob Brawdy accompanied a group of worker-anglers from Environmental Assessment Services and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee to prepare the report and photos in Sunday’s Herald, plus a photo gallery and story on tricityherald.com.

And, from the look of the two when they returned from a day on the river, it wasn’t tough duty just to tag along for the day — whether it counted against their allotted span or not.

Don’t miss Annette’s report and Bob’s photo gallery on Sunday.

w Ken Robertson: 582-1520; krobertson@tricityherald.com

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