Trout in the Classroom

Last year, I got myself into a corner. It was probably the coolest corner I could have been in. I had heard about Trout in the Classroom projects before, but I never really thought about doing it in the school I teach at until this past year. Now mind you, I am busy. I teach, I coach two varsity high school sports, I own a fly fishing company and I have an 8 year old daughter. Taking on another “project” like TIC would just be adding to a plate already over flowing with stuff.

Trout in the Classroom is a joint effort between Trout Unlimited and Fisheries Departments in many states. In Virginia, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries donates eggs to classrooms and schools that have the required equipment and set up to raise trout. Students and teachers raise trout from eggs. They take care of them throughout a normal school year and release the fingerlings into an approved watershed.

At my school, we have a 4th grade class raising the eggs. There is a lot to worry about with a TIC program. I am still a little paranoid about doing something wrong. The setup consists of a 55 gallon aquarium, a filter, a chiller, rocks, air stone filter, egg basket and lots of water. Our aquarium is surrounded by sheets Styrofoam in order to keep the water at about 52 degrees F. The kids in the 4th grade class created background art that decorates the back and side of the tank. They drew rocks, wood, fish, frogs, bubbles and plants to make our little guys feel at home when they get bigger. Mind you, our trout will be 2-3 inches long when they are released in the Spring.

Last week, at 10:45pm I picked up about 200 brook trout eggs from George Paine who is the Vice President of Northern Virginia Chapter of Trout Unlimited. George and his were kind enough to help with the transfer from Richard Landreth and the Verona Office of the Virginia Department of Game and Fisheries. If you can picture coolers, ice, zip lock container, water bottles filled with stream water and lots of care you have a good idea of what it was like. It was kind of like caring for a very small newborn and delivering an organ for transplant. After I got the eggs in my cooler and I was driving home I even drove differently than normal. It was like I was driving with some sort of explosive device that could go off at anytime. I took curves slowly, I went easy on the breaks and I even drive the speed limit.

So we are about a week into our experience and we have about 130 eggs that have hatched into the Alevin stage. Pictures are located to your right. Video on youtube is soon to follow. Pretty cool stuff. Imagine what the kids are thinking.