1 00:00:00,167 --> 00:00:01,301 On North America's east coast, 2 00:00:01,301 --> 00:00:03,403 the raging rivers 3 00:00:03,403 --> 00:00:05,172 pump life into the mainland. 4 00:00:06,406 --> 00:00:09,309 Hungry cormorants feast on fish 5 00:00:09,309 --> 00:00:11,311 swimming inland to spawn. 6 00:00:11,311 --> 00:00:13,680 The circle of life and death 7 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:15,515 along the river. 8 00:00:15,515 --> 00:00:17,417 On the jagged coast 9 00:00:17,417 --> 00:00:19,386 of Canada's eastern shore, 10 00:00:19,386 --> 00:00:21,855 a delicate and diverse ecosystem 11 00:00:21,855 --> 00:00:24,758 thrives on the fringes of the continent. 12 00:00:25,859 --> 00:00:29,563 Welcome to the Wild Wild East. 13 00:00:35,235 --> 00:00:37,537 The rivers of Nova Scotia. 14 00:00:39,806 --> 00:00:41,742 These channels carry water, 15 00:00:41,742 --> 00:00:43,710 the source of all life, 16 00:00:43,710 --> 00:00:45,545 through the province's mainland. 17 00:00:48,882 --> 00:00:52,619 This is the Shubenacadie River. 18 00:00:52,619 --> 00:00:53,887 It stretches inland 19 00:00:53,887 --> 00:00:57,491 to connect to the Bay of Fundy and Grand Lake. 20 00:00:59,626 --> 00:01:03,163 Millions of fish travel this route each year 21 00:01:03,163 --> 00:01:05,732 as they swim upstream to spawn. 22 00:01:07,567 --> 00:01:10,270 It's springtime in the Wild Wild East. 23 00:01:11,271 --> 00:01:14,508 Animal life dives head first into the river. 24 00:01:15,609 --> 00:01:17,210 Whether you're visiting for the season, 25 00:01:17,210 --> 00:01:20,580 or just emerged from a winter nap, 26 00:01:20,580 --> 00:01:24,284 the water's flow brings life to all. 27 00:01:31,692 --> 00:01:34,461 But for predator species, 28 00:01:34,461 --> 00:01:36,396 the river provides more than water. 29 00:01:37,898 --> 00:01:41,335 A fact this muskrat knows all too well. 30 00:01:43,603 --> 00:01:46,206 Animals live at different stops along the river, 31 00:01:47,641 --> 00:01:49,509 but below the surface 32 00:01:49,509 --> 00:01:52,412 another species is just passing by. 33 00:01:55,248 --> 00:01:58,518 Meandering upstream is the American shad. 34 00:01:58,518 --> 00:02:02,789 The fish are on a journey from the Atlantic Ocean 35 00:02:02,789 --> 00:02:05,158 to the river's source, Grand Lake. 36 00:02:05,892 --> 00:02:08,628 Shad spend most of their life in the ocean, 37 00:02:08,628 --> 00:02:12,466 but once they mature they swim upstream 38 00:02:12,466 --> 00:02:14,768 into freshwater lakes to spawn. 39 00:02:14,768 --> 00:02:17,771 They're what's called an anadromous fish. 40 00:02:19,906 --> 00:02:22,576 During this journey, the shad's body 41 00:02:22,576 --> 00:02:25,746 goes through an incredible change. 42 00:02:25,746 --> 00:02:27,881 Leaving the saltwater of the ocean, 43 00:02:27,881 --> 00:02:31,385 their gills, lungs and kidneys 44 00:02:31,385 --> 00:02:33,787 transform to allow them to breathe 45 00:02:33,787 --> 00:02:36,490 in the freshwater of the river. 46 00:02:40,894 --> 00:02:42,462 It is one of the most fantastic 47 00:02:42,462 --> 00:02:44,865 and elaborate transformations 48 00:02:44,865 --> 00:02:46,333 in the Wild Wild East. 49 00:02:48,902 --> 00:02:52,639 Fish don't make this journey until they reach maturity, 50 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,642 which can take up to five years. 51 00:02:56,610 --> 00:02:58,712 These big swimmers can grow 52 00:02:58,712 --> 00:03:01,314 as long as a human arm. 53 00:03:02,349 --> 00:03:05,419 The shad swim from the Atlantic waters of Florida 54 00:03:05,419 --> 00:03:07,754 through the Bay of Fundy, 55 00:03:07,754 --> 00:03:11,558 and then travel upriver to Grand Lake. 56 00:03:12,426 --> 00:03:14,661 Once they've spawned, these shad 57 00:03:14,661 --> 00:03:17,831 will turn around and head back to the ocean. 58 00:03:22,436 --> 00:03:24,438 But there's more than one fish 59 00:03:24,438 --> 00:03:25,906 along the river highway. 60 00:03:28,608 --> 00:03:29,943 Further up the Shubenacadie, 61 00:03:29,943 --> 00:03:32,746 a run of gaspereau. 62 00:03:35,048 --> 00:03:37,818 They are the American shad's little cousin, 63 00:03:37,818 --> 00:03:39,820 about a quarter of the size. 64 00:03:43,290 --> 00:03:44,791 Outside of the Maritimes, 65 00:03:44,791 --> 00:03:46,726 the fish is called an alewife. 66 00:03:47,727 --> 00:03:50,063 But here in the Wild Wild East, 67 00:03:50,063 --> 00:03:52,766 it still goes by the name the Acadian people gave it 68 00:03:52,766 --> 00:03:55,335 over 400 years ago, 69 00:03:55,335 --> 00:03:56,903 gaspereau. 70 00:03:58,772 --> 00:04:00,474 Another anadromous fish, 71 00:04:00,474 --> 00:04:03,844 these guys are traveling the same road upstream 72 00:04:03,844 --> 00:04:05,745 to their ancestral spawning grounds. 73 00:04:06,913 --> 00:04:09,449 Both the shad and the gaspereau 74 00:04:09,449 --> 00:04:12,452 possess incredible honing abilities. 75 00:04:14,488 --> 00:04:17,090 The fish spawning for the first time this spring 76 00:04:17,090 --> 00:04:19,559 have not swum in fresh water 77 00:04:19,559 --> 00:04:21,928 for as many as five years. 78 00:04:23,830 --> 00:04:26,433 And still, their sense of smell 79 00:04:26,433 --> 00:04:28,568 leads them up the same river 80 00:04:28,568 --> 00:04:30,537 that first gave them life. 81 00:04:37,444 --> 00:04:38,879 This is the gateway 82 00:04:38,879 --> 00:04:42,415 into Nova Scotia's northwestern river system. 83 00:04:44,818 --> 00:04:46,419 The gatekeepers, 84 00:04:46,419 --> 00:04:49,022 a colony of double-crested cormorants 85 00:04:49,022 --> 00:04:50,924 eagerly awaiting the fish 86 00:04:50,924 --> 00:04:53,426 moving upstream to spawn. 87 00:05:00,567 --> 00:05:02,836 Researchers estimate that there are close to 88 00:05:02,836 --> 00:05:07,507 a thousand mature birds that return here each year. 89 00:05:07,507 --> 00:05:09,743 That's about a third of the human population 90 00:05:09,743 --> 00:05:12,012 on the other side of the harbor. 91 00:05:18,919 --> 00:05:21,855 The cormorants flourish at the mouth of the river 92 00:05:21,855 --> 00:05:23,857 thanks to this ample food supply. 93 00:05:24,925 --> 00:05:27,561 They return each spring to breed 94 00:05:27,561 --> 00:05:28,962 and raise their families. 95 00:05:29,930 --> 00:05:32,632 Of the 40 different species of cormorants 96 00:05:32,632 --> 00:05:34,801 across the world, the double-crested 97 00:05:34,801 --> 00:05:36,703 is the most common in North America. 98 00:05:39,739 --> 00:05:41,041 If it were breeding season, 99 00:05:41,041 --> 00:05:43,076 you'd see two tufts of feathers 100 00:05:43,076 --> 00:05:46,146 protruding from the bird's head, like horns. 101 00:05:46,146 --> 00:05:48,682 Hence the name double-crested. 102 00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:52,586 But the honeymoon period is over, 103 00:05:52,586 --> 00:05:55,488 and in each nest there are mouths to feed. 104 00:05:56,923 --> 00:05:59,526 By nesting in large colonies like this one, 105 00:05:59,526 --> 00:06:01,995 any one of the thousand cormorants here 106 00:06:01,995 --> 00:06:03,563 can raise the alarm bell 107 00:06:03,563 --> 00:06:06,366 should a predator be seen. 108 00:06:07,801 --> 00:06:10,103 Down in the water, a dutiful husband 109 00:06:10,103 --> 00:06:13,540 collects seaweed to line the inside of his nest. 110 00:06:15,175 --> 00:06:18,478 Above, his wife takes care of some repairs. 111 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,417 The unspoken compromise of a cormorant partnership. 112 00:06:30,090 --> 00:06:32,826 Both mom and dad share the responsibility 113 00:06:32,826 --> 00:06:35,462 of maintaining a nest and raising chicks. 114 00:06:41,468 --> 00:06:42,802 The colony's nestlings 115 00:06:42,802 --> 00:06:45,472 are between four and seven weeks old, 116 00:06:45,472 --> 00:06:47,540 depending upon when the cormorant arrived, 117 00:06:47,540 --> 00:06:49,109 and how soon they found a mate. 118 00:06:51,678 --> 00:06:54,014 Most aren't ready to fly the coop yet. 119 00:06:54,014 --> 00:06:55,815 Their fuzzy brown feathers 120 00:06:55,815 --> 00:06:57,550 aren't equipped for flight. 121 00:06:59,853 --> 00:07:02,522 Cormorants can live upwards of 20 years, 122 00:07:02,522 --> 00:07:05,859 but the first is by far the most important. 123 00:07:07,527 --> 00:07:09,195 To make it through year number one, 124 00:07:09,195 --> 00:07:11,097 it will take a bit of luck, 125 00:07:11,097 --> 00:07:14,734 escaping the grasp of unwanted predators. 126 00:07:17,504 --> 00:07:20,140 Underneath these waters swim the main ingredient 127 00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:22,876 in the cormorant's diet... 128 00:07:22,876 --> 00:07:24,744 fish. 129 00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:29,115 Fortunately, there's no shortage of those 130 00:07:29,115 --> 00:07:31,117 at the mouth of the river. 131 00:07:33,286 --> 00:07:35,722 When this causeway was built, 132 00:07:35,722 --> 00:07:38,958 it dammed off the mouth of two of the three rivers 133 00:07:38,958 --> 00:07:41,695 that empty into Pictou Harbor. 134 00:07:41,695 --> 00:07:45,598 So, any migratory fish returning inland 135 00:07:45,598 --> 00:07:48,835 have no choice but to swim right by the cormorants. 136 00:07:51,971 --> 00:07:54,908 These man-made obstructions can cause some confusion 137 00:07:54,908 --> 00:07:57,210 for the animals of the Wild Wild East. 138 00:07:59,012 --> 00:08:01,548 This groundhog was just trying to track down 139 00:08:01,548 --> 00:08:02,949 some berries and grubs 140 00:08:02,949 --> 00:08:06,619 when he found himself halfway across the harbor. 141 00:08:07,954 --> 00:08:10,156 And amongst the causeway's rocks, 142 00:08:10,156 --> 00:08:12,592 a gull finds a crab. 143 00:08:15,295 --> 00:08:17,664 The cormorants like those too, 144 00:08:17,664 --> 00:08:19,199 but they prefer fish, 145 00:08:19,199 --> 00:08:22,969 and spend a large portion of each day looking for them. 146 00:08:23,970 --> 00:08:25,672 They propel themselves underwater 147 00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:28,842 with their thick webbed feet. 148 00:08:30,210 --> 00:08:31,644 When they reach striking distance, 149 00:08:31,644 --> 00:08:34,280 the cormorant tries to pierce the fish 150 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:35,982 with its hooked bill. 151 00:08:39,953 --> 00:08:43,690 Unsuccessful, this cormorant shakes off its defeat. 152 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,129 Unlike other aquatic birds, 153 00:08:49,129 --> 00:08:52,632 the cormorant's feathers don't repel water. 154 00:08:52,632 --> 00:08:53,967 So after a dip in the ocean, 155 00:08:53,967 --> 00:08:57,036 this guy spreads its wings to dry off. 156 00:08:58,972 --> 00:09:03,176 This pose is something of a trademark for the cormorant. 157 00:09:03,176 --> 00:09:07,680 It's not just unique, it's useful too. 158 00:09:07,680 --> 00:09:09,783 A soaking wet cormorant is heavier, 159 00:09:09,783 --> 00:09:13,086 sinks faster and can dive deeper. 160 00:09:21,327 --> 00:09:23,029 Stuck in their nest, 161 00:09:23,029 --> 00:09:24,964 the chicks rely on their parents 162 00:09:24,964 --> 00:09:27,233 to fish for them. 163 00:09:27,233 --> 00:09:28,902 Like most birds, cormorants 164 00:09:28,902 --> 00:09:32,038 feed their chicks through regurgitation. 165 00:09:33,339 --> 00:09:35,341 There's a bit of a sibling rivalry 166 00:09:35,341 --> 00:09:38,044 amongst the brothers and sisters. 167 00:09:38,044 --> 00:09:39,846 The hungry chicks compete 168 00:09:39,846 --> 00:09:41,181 for their parent's attention. 169 00:09:42,682 --> 00:09:44,150 And as the saying goes, 170 00:09:44,150 --> 00:09:46,686 the squeaky wheel gets the grease. 171 00:09:51,324 --> 00:09:53,293 When the birds are very young, 172 00:09:53,293 --> 00:09:56,329 they only feed out of the tip of the adult's bill. 173 00:09:57,864 --> 00:09:59,833 It obviously doesn't take them long 174 00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:01,835 to figure out there's a whole lot more 175 00:10:01,835 --> 00:10:03,837 where that came from! 176 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,276 The parents partially digest the food 177 00:10:10,276 --> 00:10:12,645 before vomiting it back up. 178 00:10:14,147 --> 00:10:16,449 The chicks then feed out of the pouch 179 00:10:16,449 --> 00:10:19,719 between the bird's bill and its neck. 180 00:10:25,892 --> 00:10:29,028 The nestlings are just on the verge of fledging 181 00:10:29,028 --> 00:10:32,265 and need lots to eat during this final stage 182 00:10:32,265 --> 00:10:35,001 of rapid growth. 183 00:10:35,001 --> 00:10:37,170 They're like hungry teenagers. 184 00:10:39,272 --> 00:10:42,308 This time of year, mom and dad fish non-stop 185 00:10:42,308 --> 00:10:46,012 to feed themselves and their growing family. 186 00:10:48,715 --> 00:10:51,918 The cormorant isn't the only bird living off the fish 187 00:10:51,918 --> 00:10:53,453 at the mouth of the river. 188 00:10:53,453 --> 00:10:57,190 A bald eagle soars nearby. 189 00:10:59,893 --> 00:11:02,295 The cormorants raise the alarm bell. 190 00:11:03,997 --> 00:11:06,266 At the top of the food chain, 191 00:11:06,266 --> 00:11:10,003 the bald eagle will eat anything it can kill. 192 00:11:10,003 --> 00:11:13,239 Right now, it's looking for a cormorant nestling. 193 00:11:14,841 --> 00:11:16,876 Mature cormorants can fly, 194 00:11:16,876 --> 00:11:19,746 and have a better chance to evade this predator. 195 00:11:21,014 --> 00:11:23,816 But their young are confined to the nest 196 00:11:23,816 --> 00:11:25,818 and at serious risk. 197 00:11:27,020 --> 00:11:30,423 Their only protection is their parents hiding them 198 00:11:30,423 --> 00:11:32,959 from the eagle's sharp eye. 199 00:11:38,865 --> 00:11:40,500 With the predator flying away, 200 00:11:40,500 --> 00:11:42,902 the cormorants can leave their nests 201 00:11:42,902 --> 00:11:45,071 and return to the water. 202 00:11:52,512 --> 00:11:56,115 This was a scouting mission for the eagle, 203 00:11:56,115 --> 00:11:58,051 and a close call for the cormorants. 204 00:12:04,357 --> 00:12:06,893 The eagle is an opportunistic hunter, 205 00:12:08,027 --> 00:12:10,396 and with so many nestlings at the colony right now, 206 00:12:10,396 --> 00:12:12,498 he won't fly far. 207 00:12:20,473 --> 00:12:22,976 Still, for now at least, 208 00:12:22,976 --> 00:12:24,978 the nestlings are safe. 209 00:12:34,020 --> 00:12:36,889 The mouth of the Shubenacadie, 210 00:12:36,889 --> 00:12:39,025 where the river ends and the ocean begins. 211 00:12:42,128 --> 00:12:43,930 The shad and the gaspereau 212 00:12:43,930 --> 00:12:46,899 begin their journey upstream here. 213 00:12:51,037 --> 00:12:54,507 Each year 5 to 10 million fish 214 00:12:54,507 --> 00:12:56,209 pass through the muddy waters 215 00:12:56,209 --> 00:12:57,543 of the Bay of Fundy. 216 00:13:00,580 --> 00:13:03,149 At its eastern tip the world's highest tide 217 00:13:03,149 --> 00:13:06,319 empties into the Shubenacadie. 218 00:13:09,022 --> 00:13:10,990 The collision of water 219 00:13:10,990 --> 00:13:13,426 alters the flow of the river. 220 00:13:15,561 --> 00:13:19,465 This unique phenomenon is called a tidal bore. 221 00:13:20,366 --> 00:13:23,302 At low tide, you can stand waist deep 222 00:13:23,302 --> 00:13:25,405 in the middle of the river. 223 00:13:25,405 --> 00:13:27,173 But within an hour 224 00:13:27,173 --> 00:13:29,242 of the Bay of Fundy's tide turning, 225 00:13:29,242 --> 00:13:31,644 the water would be two stories 226 00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:33,346 over your head. 227 00:13:36,149 --> 00:13:38,084 As they move upriver, 228 00:13:38,084 --> 00:13:39,886 the fish cross a passenger 229 00:13:39,886 --> 00:13:42,221 heading in the opposite direction. 230 00:13:43,556 --> 00:13:45,158 A harbor seal 231 00:13:45,158 --> 00:13:47,527 trying to catch its next meal. 232 00:13:48,361 --> 00:13:50,530 The path upstream is never as simple 233 00:13:50,530 --> 00:13:52,365 as Point A to Point B, 234 00:13:53,499 --> 00:13:57,036 and soon the fish hit a fork in the road. 235 00:13:59,572 --> 00:14:02,008 When these fish were just born, 236 00:14:02,008 --> 00:14:04,210 the smell of their original river 237 00:14:04,210 --> 00:14:06,546 left an imprint on them. 238 00:14:06,546 --> 00:14:09,148 Using this sensory memory 239 00:14:09,148 --> 00:14:11,117 they chart their course home. 240 00:14:12,385 --> 00:14:14,387 Some shad and gaspereau 241 00:14:14,387 --> 00:14:16,355 continue down the Shubenacadie, 242 00:14:16,355 --> 00:14:19,292 while others exit onto Stewiacke River. 243 00:14:21,661 --> 00:14:24,397 But it isn't long before the Stewiacke swimmers 244 00:14:24,397 --> 00:14:27,133 run into one of their most common predators. 245 00:14:30,169 --> 00:14:31,971 The angler. 246 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,209 Here, along the Stewiacke River, 247 00:14:36,209 --> 00:14:39,112 they compete in what's known as a Shad Derby. 248 00:14:40,713 --> 00:14:44,150 Each angler is trying to catch the largest shad possible. 249 00:14:44,717 --> 00:14:45,718 The bigger, 250 00:14:45,718 --> 00:14:47,320 The bigger, the better. 251 00:14:49,555 --> 00:14:52,125 The fish will serve a purpose. 252 00:14:52,125 --> 00:14:55,661 Nearby there's an Eagle Rehabilitation Centre 253 00:14:55,661 --> 00:14:57,697 and all the shad caught today 254 00:14:57,697 --> 00:15:00,466 will be fed to the eagle's in recovery. 255 00:15:06,439 --> 00:15:07,640 The annual community event 256 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,176 has been going on for 20 years now. 257 00:15:11,144 --> 00:15:12,712 The river always finds a way 258 00:15:12,712 --> 00:15:15,014 to bring living things together, 259 00:15:15,014 --> 00:15:17,583 above, and below the water. 260 00:15:23,723 --> 00:15:26,459 Eagles usually catch their own fish, 261 00:15:26,459 --> 00:15:28,327 but the injured birds in recovery 262 00:15:28,327 --> 00:15:30,630 will be happy to receive a helping hand 263 00:15:30,630 --> 00:15:32,498 from the human world. 264 00:15:38,404 --> 00:15:41,574 Meanwhile, the shad along the Shubenacadie are facing 265 00:15:41,574 --> 00:15:43,676 a different challenge. 266 00:15:44,577 --> 00:15:47,647 This trap is called a fishing weir. 267 00:15:49,015 --> 00:15:51,417 It's set here annually to harvest the spring runs 268 00:15:51,417 --> 00:15:54,053 of gaspereau and shad. 269 00:15:55,288 --> 00:15:57,723 Fishing weirs have been set along tidal rivers 270 00:15:57,723 --> 00:16:01,360 across the world for at least 10,000 years, 271 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,497 though it's likely they've existed even longer. 272 00:16:06,132 --> 00:16:09,001 The trap works by blocking off a section of the river. 273 00:16:14,073 --> 00:16:15,641 The weir forces the fish 274 00:16:15,641 --> 00:16:19,178 to swim into nets placed underwater. 275 00:16:20,179 --> 00:16:23,249 At its peak in the 20th century, 276 00:16:23,249 --> 00:16:26,085 over half a million shad were fished annually 277 00:16:26,085 --> 00:16:27,453 in the Wild Wild East. 278 00:16:32,258 --> 00:16:35,127 But the bony fish is difficult to prepare, 279 00:16:35,127 --> 00:16:38,030 and it has fallen out of favor with the general public. 280 00:16:39,398 --> 00:16:42,568 These fish will be used to bait lobsters. 281 00:16:45,438 --> 00:16:48,174 But, some fish sneak through. 282 00:16:48,174 --> 00:16:51,544 The fishermen can't catch them all. 283 00:16:53,079 --> 00:16:55,615 Angling and fishing weirs are carefully regulated 284 00:16:55,615 --> 00:16:57,216 in the Wild Wild East. 285 00:16:57,216 --> 00:17:00,186 This ensures the shad and gaspereau 286 00:17:00,186 --> 00:17:02,388 can make it back to spawn. 287 00:17:03,389 --> 00:17:04,857 If they don't, it will disrupt 288 00:17:04,857 --> 00:17:07,226 the delicate balance of the river. 289 00:17:11,864 --> 00:17:13,833 In less than six weeks, 290 00:17:13,833 --> 00:17:16,569 the cormorant nestlings along Pictou Harbor 291 00:17:16,569 --> 00:17:19,338 will be able to fly. 292 00:17:19,338 --> 00:17:20,573 Confined to the nest 293 00:17:20,573 --> 00:17:22,642 they rely completely on their parents. 294 00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:25,711 Flight brings them independence, 295 00:17:25,711 --> 00:17:28,281 but also a defense. 296 00:17:34,654 --> 00:17:36,789 The eagle has re-emerged 297 00:17:36,789 --> 00:17:38,891 to stalk the cormorant colony. 298 00:17:38,891 --> 00:17:42,161 And the parents do their best 299 00:17:42,161 --> 00:17:44,196 to shield the nestlings. 300 00:17:51,737 --> 00:17:54,106 The eagle takes off. 301 00:18:01,714 --> 00:18:03,749 Circling back, 302 00:18:03,749 --> 00:18:07,453 it snatches a baby cormorant. 303 00:18:28,708 --> 00:18:32,678 The cormorant species are built to sustain loss. 304 00:18:32,678 --> 00:18:34,413 The death of one nestling 305 00:18:34,413 --> 00:18:37,550 will not destroy the colony. 306 00:18:39,552 --> 00:18:42,722 There's strength in numbers. 307 00:18:42,722 --> 00:18:44,924 And here in the Wild Wild East, 308 00:18:44,924 --> 00:18:46,892 the future is strong 309 00:18:46,892 --> 00:18:49,195 for the double-crested cormorant. 310 00:19:03,909 --> 00:19:06,412 Back along the Shubenacadie, 311 00:19:06,412 --> 00:19:08,514 the gaspereau have almost reached 312 00:19:08,514 --> 00:19:10,249 the river's source, 313 00:19:10,249 --> 00:19:11,817 Grand Lake. 314 00:19:13,753 --> 00:19:15,888 The lake takes them all the way 315 00:19:15,888 --> 00:19:18,891 into Nova Scotia's mainland. 316 00:19:18,891 --> 00:19:20,659 It is the end of the journey, 317 00:19:20,659 --> 00:19:23,529 and it's just around the river's bend. 318 00:19:26,432 --> 00:19:29,435 The fish have fought their way upriver, 319 00:19:29,435 --> 00:19:31,604 found luck where others haven't. 320 00:19:32,605 --> 00:19:35,474 When they arrive home they will spawn, 321 00:19:35,474 --> 00:19:39,178 and welcome the next generation of gaspereau. 322 00:19:40,646 --> 00:19:43,015 But man has placed one final obstacle 323 00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:44,450 in their path. 324 00:19:44,450 --> 00:19:46,685 A pair of metal culverts. 325 00:19:50,022 --> 00:19:52,825 The water, tunneled through these two holes, 326 00:19:52,825 --> 00:19:55,628 rushes against the frantic gaspereau, 327 00:19:55,628 --> 00:19:57,897 bubbling, 328 00:19:57,897 --> 00:19:59,432 churning, 329 00:19:59,432 --> 00:20:00,900 spinning. 330 00:20:06,739 --> 00:20:08,507 But on the other side, 331 00:20:08,507 --> 00:20:09,842 calm. 332 00:20:11,444 --> 00:20:13,446 The ancestral spawning grounds 333 00:20:13,446 --> 00:20:15,314 of the gaspereau. 334 00:20:18,451 --> 00:20:22,822 And so the fish fight the culvert's frenzied flow. 335 00:20:23,923 --> 00:20:25,925 It's not easy for the little guys, 336 00:20:25,925 --> 00:20:28,360 and it takes a lot of gumption. 337 00:20:29,929 --> 00:20:31,730 But they swim. 338 00:20:35,901 --> 00:20:38,504 Just when it seems they've made it into the tunnel, 339 00:20:38,504 --> 00:20:41,240 the waters force pushes them back. 340 00:20:51,784 --> 00:20:55,387 One by one the fish make it into the tunnel. 341 00:21:00,092 --> 00:21:02,661 The journey upstream is a marathon 342 00:21:02,661 --> 00:21:05,331 and this is the final sprint. 343 00:21:14,473 --> 00:21:15,808 On the other side of the culvert, 344 00:21:15,808 --> 00:21:19,011 the gaspereau have arrived at the source 345 00:21:19,011 --> 00:21:22,648 of the Shubenacadie River to spawn. 346 00:21:25,584 --> 00:21:27,887 A single female gaspereau 347 00:21:27,887 --> 00:21:30,022 may release anywhere between 60,000 348 00:21:30,022 --> 00:21:34,460 and 200,000 eggs during spawning. 349 00:21:34,460 --> 00:21:37,596 Of course, not all of these become little fish. 350 00:21:39,832 --> 00:21:42,468 Once born, things like water temperature, 351 00:21:42,468 --> 00:21:45,437 presence of predators and food availability, 352 00:21:45,437 --> 00:21:48,107 all influence whether or not larval gaspereau 353 00:21:48,107 --> 00:21:50,743 will grow big enough to make the long trip 354 00:21:50,743 --> 00:21:52,878 back to the ocean. 355 00:21:54,713 --> 00:21:57,383 When they travel downriver for the first time, 356 00:21:57,383 --> 00:21:59,685 they'll go through their own transformation, 357 00:21:59,685 --> 00:22:02,922 preparing their internal organs for salt water. 358 00:22:04,023 --> 00:22:06,058 The time this transformation takes 359 00:22:06,058 --> 00:22:07,860 is genetically programmed 360 00:22:07,860 --> 00:22:09,662 to be the same amount of time 361 00:22:09,662 --> 00:22:12,464 as their journey downstream to the ocean. 362 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,037 And so, at the beginning of that next journey, 363 00:22:18,037 --> 00:22:20,673 this one ends. 364 00:22:20,673 --> 00:22:22,441 The gaspereau and shad 365 00:22:22,441 --> 00:22:24,610 have ensured the future of their species 366 00:22:24,610 --> 00:22:26,011 for another year. 367 00:22:28,948 --> 00:22:32,551 Rivers are the bloodline of the natural world, 368 00:22:32,551 --> 00:22:34,620 pumping life through the Wild Wild East. 369 00:22:35,921 --> 00:22:39,124 In their natural form, they flow and churn 370 00:22:39,124 --> 00:22:41,794 in relation to the formation of the earth. 371 00:22:41,794 --> 00:22:43,429 They bring together 372 00:22:43,429 --> 00:22:44,763 humans, 373 00:22:44,763 --> 00:22:45,965 birds, 374 00:22:45,965 --> 00:22:47,800 fish. 375 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:48,968 All living creatures. 376 00:22:50,603 --> 00:22:53,572 In a few months the gaspereau and shad born this spring, 377 00:22:53,572 --> 00:22:56,575 will need to make their first journey down the river, 378 00:22:56,575 --> 00:22:58,577 to the Atlantic Ocean. 379 00:22:58,577 --> 00:23:00,446 It will be years 380 00:23:00,446 --> 00:23:03,515 before they'll swim in the Shubenacadie again. 381 00:23:03,515 --> 00:23:05,784 The cormorants in Pictou Harbor 382 00:23:05,784 --> 00:23:07,620 will fly south again this winter. 383 00:23:08,153 --> 00:23:11,757 But you can be sure they'll return again next year. 384 00:23:11,757 --> 00:23:15,694 They've made these waters their home. 385 00:23:15,694 --> 00:23:18,130 Life in the wild can seem like 386 00:23:18,130 --> 00:23:19,965 a cruel numbers game 387 00:23:19,965 --> 00:23:22,868 for species low on the food chain. 388 00:23:22,868 --> 00:23:24,937 But such is the delicate balance 389 00:23:24,937 --> 00:23:27,006 of the natural world. 390 00:23:28,107 --> 00:23:29,575 A river runs through 391 00:23:29,575 --> 00:23:31,243 the Wild Wild East. 392 00:23:31,243 --> 00:23:41,487 ♪ THEME MUSIC ♪ 393 00:23:41,487 --> 00:23:56,435 ♪ THEME MUSIC ♪