If you have just stumbled upon this blog, note that our class no longer meets and will no longer be adding new content. Feel free to click around and see all that we’ve learned about environmental science this year, especially our trout rearing program. -Mr. W
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On May 5th, members of our class took our remaining trout to South Mountains State Park, near Connelly Springs, NC (northwest of Charlotte). The goal was to release the trout in a mountain stream, then do a little fly-fishing.
The Release Crew
We had to transport the fish in a small cooler with ice blocks, and use an aerator to insure the fish had enough oxygen for the 1.5 hour ride.
Our Trout "RV"
Once we arrived, we transferred the fish to a small bait bucket and walked them down to the stream. Then, one of the class members slowly lowered the bucket into the water and let the 25 rainbow trout free. Check out this 30 second (underwater!) video of the release:
Our trout were about 8 months old upon release, and the largest fish was only about 3.5 inches. We are not sure they will survive, but we did note lots of fingerlings swimming in the area that day.
With our mission accomplished, we had lunch and then did a little fly-fishing.
We would like to thank the Rocky River Chapter of Trout Unlimited for the equipment and support this year.
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A few months have passed now and the growth of the trout is very visible. Each day they eat two pinches of food. Their size is not the only thing changing. Their color has changed to look more like an adult rainbow trout. Unfortunately one trout is growing faster than the rest. We think this dominant fish may be eating some of the smaller fish causing the population to decline. It won’t be long until we release the fish into the wild!
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This is for those that missed our most excellent field trip Monday and for those that want a good review. I made this 6.5 minute video podcast a few years ago at a different facility, but it still hits all the highlights:
After the tour, the class helped the other students with water testing. No need to make up the lab.
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It has been about 3 or 4 months since the eggs first arrived and now the trout seemed to be leveling off development. Also more and more trout become missing not to be seen floating dead anywhere but rather I speculate it has been eaten by one of the bigger fishes who is about half An inch to an inch bigger then the rest. Hopefully this will stop as only about 23 remain
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Over the past months we have been growing our trout and the growth that they have made is absolutely remarkable. I cannot believe that these thing can grow so fast. There are many different sizes of fish from an inch to About two and a half inches, if the little fish arent careful then there is a very large chance that the large fish could feast on them. We will continue growing the fish and watching them closely and soon we should be able to release them, in a couple months of course.
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Since the last time we’ve posted, our trout have grown quite a bit. They now are about 2 inches in length and they’re really starting to take on their common trout qualities. The first picture is a current photo of our trout and the second is a drawing of a full grown trout. You can see that while our fish still have quite a bit more growing to do, they are still beginning to develop the distinctive spots and color that trout are known for. In the wild, trout rely on this pattern for camouflage as they blend into the rocks on the river floor. We look forward to watching our trout continue to grow and develop as they get ready to be released into the wild!
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Trout VidThis week the trout population has finally stabilized. None of the fish have died this week. The fish have developed small dorsal fins. A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of the fish, just like the fin on a shark’s back that you might see poking out of the water. All of the fish are continuing to eat what they are fed, growing in size and adding color to their bodies. We hope the fish keep growing and are anxious to see how they develop in the near future. *Note: If video does player does not show in your browser, click download)
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Trout Tank: Week Six
Another sad week for the fish, we have lost about 3 this week. I wonder what is causing so many trout to die? It could be the water quality or mutations in the fish. Living fish, however, have grown from last week. The picture above is one of our biggest trout. He looks healthy and their bodies are starting to gain more color. The trout seem to be swimming through out the whole tank rather than some just hanging near the corners. The pump seems to be the cause of some deaths in our tank but many still survive. As our fish population continue to decline, I am curious to see what the coming weeks will bring. Feeding is on schedule. Hope for the best!
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It’s been a dim week for our trout. Sadly we have lost about 3 or 4 trout this week. BUT!!!! On the bright side, I think our fish are starting to grow brains. The reason I think this is because they have finally been trained to go to the side of the fish bowl where they are fed. There are some stragglers but this is to be expected. Not all trout learn at the same pace. Also, our trout are starting to get verticals stripes and they are also getting pretty big! Our little babies are growing 
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