TROUT IN THE

Trout in the Classroom Update 11/26/07
Information provided by TIC Project Leader Al Concilio

The TIC program is in full swing again this year. An orientation was held at Northeast Utilities Headquarters in Berlin on September 17. The event, which included all new teachers in the program, was well organized and very informative. Our chapter is continuing to sponsor Sue Johnson’s seventh grade classes at the Memorial Middle School in Middlebury. In October the 55 gallon tank and other classroom hatchery components were reassembled.

After great anticipation among the students, one hundred brown trout eggs were delivered on Monday, November 19. The eggs came from the Burlington Hatchery along with three packets of different-sized fish food. Last year, Sue started with free-swimming brook trout, but this year she received eyed eggs.

Students assisted in acclimating the pink-colored eggs to the tank temperature and then slowly deposited them into a breeder basket hung off the side of the aquarium. As usual, excitement filled the room as the seventh graders realized that their project was about to begin. They will spend the next six weeks or so carefully observing the eggs and eliminating any that die (turn white). Students will use a math formula to predict when the fish eggs will hatch into alevin (yolk fry). The yolk sac, which is attached to the alevin, will slowly disappear as the trout grow and eventually the students will begin to feed their fish. When the fry are large enough, they will be released into a local stream.

Naugatuck Pomperaug Chapter joins the TIC program in Middlebury at the Middle School.

The membership (rightfully so) often ask "what do you do with the money raised from the banquet and the monthly raffles. Our chapter this year committed to a rather large sum of our reserves to fund the first (TIC) Trout in the Classroom program. With $400.00 from a very generous family, Ted and Ellen Wright of Cheshire, and NPTU putting in the remainder we made it happen. The total cost for each "hatchery isapproximately $1200.00 with the chiller costing about half of the "hatchery". Al Concilio , Ed Albrecht and ( Rich Guarino of the Thames Valley chapter) not in the picture and the state coordinator put all of the pieces together to make it work.

Sue Johnson, a sixth grade teacher in the Memorial Middle School, volunteered to take on this project. A 55 gallon aquarium was set up in her room during the month of December. The setup includes a chiller, UV sterilizer, submersible pump, aquarium filter, aerator, and thermostat that mounts on the side of the hatchery. Normally the project begins in late September when brook trout eggs are delivered, but because we got a late start we will place 100 small brook trout in the tank. Students will learn to maintain the temperature at between 48-52 F. The temperature affects ammonia and oxygen concentrations and fish metabolism. They will also test for pH, dissolved oxygen, and ammonia levels. Since the fish have already hatched and absorbed their yolk sacs, they will need to be fed. The amount and size of the food changes as the trout develop. Students will monitor the progress of the brookies and will record data for all the water quality factors until spring. At that time they will take a field trip to a stream chosen by the state fishery biologists and release the trout.

We will be picking up small "brookies" at the Quinebaug Valley Fish Hatchery January 11th and plan to "stock out" in some time in April. We plan to implement a program in 2007 starting with eggs and will follow the "DI" Development Index Program that is current used for the Salmon (SIC) In the Classroom program.
Our own Al Concilio has had extensive experience teaching the "DI" method when he was with the (CRSA) Connecticut River Salmon Association

Trout in the Classroom (TIC) programs have been in place all across the country for more than 20 years. In New York, TIC was started through the efforts of the late Joan Stoliar in 1997. The program was designed specifically for teachers who want to incorporate more environmental education into their curriculum and need outside help. It gives TU members the opportunity to get involved with their local schools, while teaching kids about water quality, aquatic life, and other environmental issues.

What is Trout in the Classroom?
Trout in the Classroom is a relatively simple program. Teachers set up an aquarium and incubate trout eggs in their classroom, under the guidance of a Trout in the Classroom coordinator (often a TU member). Together, they ensure that all of the equipment has been purchased and is assembled by September. While the program varies from state to state, in general the teacher and students are responsible for daily maintenance and observation of the eggs, while the coordinator is responsible for obtaining permits and locating a certified egg source.
The final result is an aquarium full of trout fry that is released into a state-approved body of water during a class field trip. Trout in the Classroom is an extremely rewarding program for students, teachers, and mentors. The program can be set up in one school, or, as some chapters of Trout Unlimited have done, as a collaboration with many different schools.
How do I get involved as a TU member?
There are as many opportunities as there are schools and teachers in your area. There may even be a member of your chapter who is also a teacher in the local school system. It is extremely important that you find a teacher who is very excited about the idea and will work with you throughout the entire process; the teacher who chooses to undertake this program is the secret to its success.

The release of the Brook Trout in our 1st Hatchery in Middlebury Middle School

Our First 100 Trout!

The trout are growing quickly.