Eggs!

The eggs have arrived! 

Students and teachers throughout the school have been waiting for the box to arrive in the office labeled "LIVE FISH!"  Now it's here!

The next job was to separate and count the eggs.  Trout in the Classroom estimated between 200-300 eggs were shipped.  In order to properly maintain how the population progresses throughout the year, a full count of how many eggs arrived, both live and dead, must be made upon arrival.  So.

Two teachers and four students commenced preparing for the initial count.  Because the eggs are to have minimal contact with light, we took the extra measure of adding shade protection to the counting site.

It took several tries to obtain a working technique for scooping out the eggs to separate and count.

 Finally, the boys decided upon one of them scooping eggs with a plastic spoon, two boys counting and sorting, and the final student recording answers.

The photo is blurry due to an uncooperative camera.  However, look closely to notice the dark spots on the eggs.  Do you see them?  Those spots are eyes!  Any egg that was orange colored was deemed live and thus moved to the nesting basket in the larger tank.  The white eggs were deemed not viable, or dead.  

White eggs:(

After we triple-checked our numbers, the final tally was...

244 live eggs.  50 dead eggs.

The survival rate of the eggs is between 10%-20%.  Challenge:  Refer to your middle school mental math skills.  If there are currently 244 live eggs, how many (on average) can we expect to be ready for release next spring?

Students will be monitoring the eggs regularly each week.  They will be keeping a current count of live/dead eggs, and record all of their data.  They will also be in charge of keeping the water fresh for the eggs and the watching the temperature on the tank to make sure the chiller is working properly and consistently (52 degrees Fahrenheit!).  

Check back regularly for updates on when the eggs hatch, how their population is doing, and to find out exactly what you feed fry (newly hatched trout)!

Meticulously counting and sorting trout eggs

Waiting...

The preparation continues for the trout eggs to arrive.  Now that the tank is set up, curiosity grew as to whether it functioned properly.  What better thing to do than collect water and test it out?

That is exactly what a group of students accomplished before the weather turned.

The eggs are expected to be delivered on November 4th-5th.  To be certain that all of the tank equipment was assembled and working properly, students collected enough water from the host creek to fill their tank and test everything out before the big day.

The kick net from the stream study was utilized as a sieve to keep any large sediment from entering the tank (and clogging up the valves).  The thermostat and chiller have been working efficiently to keep the temperature as stable as possible.  

And now we wait.  

HOWEVER, while we wait, another aspect of this adventure involves testing the stream at the site for its level of health.  Approximately 20 students took to the stream on October 22 to test the water for levels of phosphate, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, pH, and the turbidity.  They also canvased the site for levels of macroinvertebrates, or insects and larvae the size of your fingernail, to see what is living in the creek.  All of the data will be interpreted by the students to gauge the health of the stream.  After all, this stream will be the new home of numerous trout fingerlings come spring!

Despite the cool water temperatures (9 degrees Celsius), students waded into the water to collect their samples.  Above is a collection for dissolved oxygen, below is the team recording data for turbidity.  Compare the water flow in this photo to the one at the top of this entry!

We did a search for macros and came up with minimal results.  However, we were not the only group enjoying being outside in the stream today.  Numerous steelhead fisherman were shoulder-to-shoulder along the stream, vying for the perfect location.  One fisherman was very lucky - 

If this adult can survive, there are high hopes for a healthy habitat for our fingerlings in the spring!

Adventure Begun!

For North East Middle School students and teachers, a new adventure has begun for the 2013-14 school year.  They have embarked on a Trout in the Classroom project.  This project is headed by the PA Trout in the Classroom movement by partners PA Council of Trout Unlimited and PA Fish and Boat Commission.  Schools throughout the Commonwealth have the opportunity to raise native brook trout within their schools and release them in the spring to approved waterways.  

What is more fun than fish?

The faculty is very enthusiastic about this project, ready to assemble the gear and complete test runs prior to the eggs arrival (not for several weeks yet!).  Our efforts to be prepared for the trout eggs are reminiscent 

of first-time parents; checking and re-checking all of the equipment to make certain things are just-so before the little ones arrive. 

Students in 7th and 8th grade were more than happy to learn about these native fish and also prep the equipment for assembly.  

An added bonus to the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) project for North East:  the 8th grade is also involved in an annual stream study utilizing the stream the trout will be release into in the spring.  Not only are the students learning about various chemical tests to gauge the water quality, they are also including assessment on the biological health by monitoring the macroinvertebrate population.  The water chemistry tests include phosphates and nitrates, dissolved oxygen, coliform bacteria, pH, and turbidity.  The results of these test will be posted on www.erieconservation.comhttp://www.erieconservation.com/education/ as the data is reported.  What a great connection to monitor the health of the very stream that the trout will be released into in a few short months!

We will be posting activities as soon as the eggs arrive!