Date: 1/07/11
Contact: Doug Nielsen
Phone: (702) 486-5127 x 3500

SCHOOL KIDS GEAR UP TO RAISE TROUT

Every January since 2001, students from approximately 50 Southern Nevada schools have eagerly set up 10-gallon aquariums that will soon become incubators of sorts for about 200 rainbow trout eggs. These eggs will hatch and grow right in their classrooms where the students can see the beginning of a trout's lifecycle.

This is all part of the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) Trout in the Classroom program, which gives students in grades four through six the opportunity to view the lifecycle up close. Once the baby trout become fingerlings the students will release them – under the direction of NDOW personnel -- into local trout waters such as those at Floyd Lamb Park or Sunset Park.

In order for students to participate in the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program, their teachers must first attend a TIC training course where they will learn the skills and obtain the equipment necessary to hatch and raise tiny trout. Training for new TIC teachers is scheduled for Jan. 22. The eggs, which are shipped to NDOW from a national fish hatchery, will arrive in Las Vegas in early February.

"That's when the fun starts," says Ivy Santee, Angler Education Coordinator for NDOW. "This is a great opportunity for school children to learn about one aspect of nature and how it works. And it's a great chance for students to move beyond the text book."

The fertilized eggs begin hatching approximately five to seven days after arriving at their school locations. Depending on the water temperature in the respective aquariums, it could be as long as a month before they start looking like a little fish and begin swimming around and searching for food. Then somewhere between mid-March and mid-April, TIC students have the opportunity to release their charges into preselected trout waters.

"The TIC program is very popular with teachers and principals, probably due to the hands–on science, math, and other disciplines involved in the program. The students' interest is reflected in higher test scores," Santee said.

As the agency has for the past couple of years, NDOW will host a TIC aquarium in the lobby of its Las Vegas office. It will be just like those found in the classrooms at participating schools. Beginning in early February, the tank and its eggs will be available for easy viewing. Anyone can stop by and checkout the development of the eggs and the subsequent stages that the fish go through until they change into swim-up fry.

"Everyone is encouraged to come by and help us predict the exact hatching day of the fish and watch for the little guys to emerge into free swimming fish," Santee said.

Teachers who are interested in participating in the TIC program can register on the Trout in the Classroom website. It can be accessed through a link at the wildlife department's website at www.ndow.org. For additional information contact Ivy Santee at (702) 486-5127, ext. 3503.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW's wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen's license and conservation fees and a Federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.