A tiny turtle was one of the best finds on Duffyfield Canal this week.

Sound Rivers Program Director Clay Barber, Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register, Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz and intern William Wallace met up with employees of the New Bern Publix today to introduce them the Sound Rivers’ Trash Trout and provide some volunteer hours.

“They thought the Trash Trout was cool. There wasn’t a whole lot of trash sitting in it. The lack of rain was causing the creek to kind of flow backward a little bit,” Clay said. “That’s a good problem to have, I reckon — not enough trash.”

There was trash, however, but the volunteers had to go looking for it: in waders, combing through the duck weed, then along the banks of the canal.

“There was lots of Styrofoam pieces, tiny pieces. I feel like everything we found today was tiny pieces, then it jumped up to giant pieces of wood, like from fences,” Clay said.

Two large bags of trash were collected, and the Publix employees/Trash Trout volunteers told Clay they had a good time and would do it again. Future Trash Trout clean-outs will be organized by Sound Rivers’ new volunteer coordinator, Emily.

(The turtle was found in the duck weed — not in the Trash Trout — and was released downstream. And to the New Bern public works employee who effusively thanked us for “cleaning his ditch” — you’re welcome!)