Date: 12/07/11
Contact: Ivy Santee
Phone: (702) 486-5127 x3503

NEW YEAR TO BRING TROUT TO LOCAL SCHOOLS

The New Year is just around the corner and that means thousands of trout eggs will soon be on their way to classrooms in Southern Nevada schools. Every January since 2001, approximately 50 schools have welcomed the arrival of rainbow trout eggs that are hatched in aquariums right in the classroom.

It’s all part of the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program, which provides the opportunity for students in grades four through six to observe and closely study the beginning of a trout’s lifecycle. Each participating school receives approximately 250 eggs.

The eggs, which are shipped to NDOW from a national fish hatchery, will arrive in Las Vegas in early February. “The eggs hatch in about five to seven days after the schools receive them,” said Ivy Santee, aquatic education coordinator for NDOW. “Depending on the water temperature in the aquarium, it could take anywhere from four to eight weeks before the fish start swimming around and looking like fish.”

Once the baby trout become fingerlings the students have the opportunity to release them in local trout waters like those at Floyd Lamb Park or Sunset Park. This is done under the direction of NDOW personnel and should take place between mid-March and mid-April.

Teachers who oversee the Trout in the Classroom Program in their schools are required to complete a training class in which they learn how to use the equipment necessary for raising the trout. The 2012 training session is scheduled for Jan. 21.

“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.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Trout in the Classroom program will have the opportunity to observe the same process participating school students do. As it has for the past three years, NDOW will place a TIC aquarium in the lobby of its office at 4747 Vegas Drive in Las Vegas. 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.

Teachers interested in participating in the TIC program, or anyone who is interested in more information, should contact Ivy Santee at (702) 486-5127 x 3503, Monday through Friday.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and 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. Find us on Facebook or Twitter.