The DRBC set up at the Fort Delaware Museum, one of the many places celebrating the 1st ever Upper Delaware ShadFest. Photo by the DRBC.

The first-ever Festival of the Founding Fish: Upper Delaware ShadFest took place recently at several towns from Port Jervis, N.Y. to Hancock, N.Y. along the upper Delaware River.

View festival details

The DRBC was happy to be a part of this inaugural event, tabling at the Fort Delaware Museum in Narrowsburg, N.Y.

This was the grand re-opening of Fort Delaware and featured historians in period dress demonstrating Native American and colonial fishing, fish preservation techniques and the role the American shad played in their lives each spring. American shad are fish that are born in the river, live in the ocean as adults and in the spring, return to the river in which they were born to lay their eggs.

Learn more about American shad

The DRBC table was full of information about the Commission and its programs, including its Our Shared Waters outreach program.

The table also included a display of macroinvertebrates, or aquatic insects. Collected from the Delaware River at a nearby site, these insects can tell scientists about how clean the waterway is. Some species, for example, mayflies, are more sensitive to pollution, making them good indicators of a healthy aquatic habitat.

The DRBC enjoys participating in outreach events all across the Delaware River Basin. Helping kids - and adults - understand the importance of clean water and the aquatic life that depends on it is an important part of what we do. We look forward to next year!

DRBC staff collects macroinvertebrates from the Delaware River. Photo by the DRBC.	One of the trays of macros collected from the Delaware River. Photo by the DRBC.	Folks got to get their photo taken as Aquatic Biologist Superhero Major Macros. Photo by the DRBC.
Fort Delaware Asst. Director Alexis Patterson is all dressed up and ready to play shad cornhole! Photo by the DRBC.	DRBC Director of External Affairs & Communications Beth Brown poses with UDC Executive Director Laurie Ramie and a large 3D map of the DRB. These maps were produced as part of DRBC's Our Shared Waters program. Photo by the DRBC.	DRBC Director of External Affairs & Communications Beth Brown poses with Delaware Company President John Conway and a large 3D map of the DRB. These maps were produced as part of DRBC's Our Shared Waters program. Photo by the DRBC.