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University of Dayton students Grace John and Eric Schroeder stand at the bow of a Five Rivers MetroParks boat as they return from electrofishing. Electrofishing, or fish shocking, involves passing an electric current through the water to stun fish and bring them to the surface for study. The students were taking part in the UD Rivers Institute two-day kayak trip.Click to view more photos

DAYTON — Fish floating on a river surface usually isn't a sign of good water quality.

Fortunately, the fish on the Great Miami River on Wednesday, Aug. 13, were only stunned, having been shocked with electric current and brought to the surface to measure species diversity.

"We saw a lot of species that would not have been here in the past due to pollution," said Mike Enright, a conservation biologist for Five Rivers MetroParks.

"The fact that they're here now shows that our rivers are getting cleaner."

The fish shocking demonstration at RiverScape was part of a two-day kayak trip for more than 20 University of Dayton students who will serve as river stewards at the university's Rivers Institute.

"It's amazing how they just freeze and you can catch them," said Eric Schroeder, a sophomore from Ottawa, Ohio. He collected the fish with a net from Enright's boat.

The Rivers Institute is a student-led initiative coordinated by UD's Fitz Center for Leadership in Community.

"We're trying to work in the community to bring people back to the rivers, both here in Dayton and the broader river corridor from Piqua to Hamilton," said Emily Klein, a Rivers Institute co-coordinator and senior from Columbus.

The institute's goal is "to create a river district and to really connect the region via the river," Klein said.