• Salmon in the Classroom

    There are few things concerning the outdoor world which I applaud more than volunteer conservation works and getting youth involved in the outdoors. Let’s be honest, we could use more of both on a regular basis in this province. Without volunteer driven conservation projects and programs, many of the major successes in the preservation of our outdoor world would have not been possible. At the same time, involving and educating youth in conservation and the outdoors is imperative for the future of fish and wildlife throughout our area. This past week I had the chance to take a close look at a conservation project in our region which joins the Lake Huron Fishing Club with a number of local schools; an endeavor which unites these principles of volunteer effort and youth inclusion.

    For a third year the Lake Huron Fishing Club has undertaken the “classroom hatchery” project. This program provides willing elementary and high school classrooms with a small aquarium-style salmon hatchery. The club provides all of the equipment required to raise roughly 115 Chinook salmon, from fertilized egg through until they are ready to stock in late April. The eggs are obtained from the LHFC salmon hatchery in Port Elgin.

    LHFC member, Richard Elliot Jr. of Teeswater, is the driving force behind the program which he was instrumental in starting a few years ago. I recently came across Richard’s web blog which is devoted to the project and was astonished by the progress the “classroom hatchery” project has experienced in a few short years. Early this week Richard provided me with the opportunity to visit Walkerton’s Sacred Heart High School where we checked in on science teacher Meredith White’s classroom.

    In the back corner of Mrs. White’s class sat a twenty gallon aquarium equipped with a filter system and water chilling unit. Richard explained the aquarium equipment and how the system worked, while I stared at the 100+ sac fry salmon which had just hatched from their eggs. White and Elliot went on to explain the care involved in maintaining a healthy environment within the tank, as well as feeding schedules once the fish were large enough to begin taking free floating food. The most important part of the whole system is that the students themselves get the opportunity to be involved in the entire process of raising the tiny salmon. White described the benefits of having the hatchery in her classroom as “providing a hands-on link to the outdoor world, making connections between science and the community considering the salmon are released into the Saugeen river in the spring, being able to look at the development of the fish, and to be able to understand the importance of water quality and the environment in a hands-on type of way which is better than reading it or hearing someone talk about it”. White noted that the students in her classroom find the entire project captivating, especially the grade nine class which includes quite a few young anglers who take a keen interest in the salmon.

    The interest in the “classroom hatchery” has grown immensely over the past two years. Elliot now has ten schools across Huron and Bruce which have in-class hatchery set-ups. Along with the ongoing projects, there are another four schools on a waiting list for the program next year. Last year, the idea caught the attention of other fish and wildlife clubs such as the Sydenham Sportsman in Owen Sound who have implemented a similar program and installed a system at Sydenham School. The idea of the classroom salmon hatchery is such a hit that the Ministry of Education is producing a DVD revolving around science and animal husbandry which uses the LHFC classroom hatchery as a model example.

    The program also requires a significant amount of funds to operate. Elliot stated that “without the funding we received from Libro Financial’s Community Builder Grant, the project would not be possible.” The LHFC classroom hatchery program was awarded $6000 to implement the hatcheries throughout ten schools. Considering the chilling units alone cost in excess of $450, one can imagine how far that money goes.


    Chinook salmon which have recently hatched in a Lake Huron Fishing Club classroom hatchery.
    These young salmon are called sacfry, and will feed off their attached yolk sac before becoming
    free swimming and able to accept pelleted food.


    The volunteer work that goes into this project is immense. It is in this respect that Richard Elliot has truly taken on the task, growing the idea and bringing it to more schools throughout the area. Elliot is, among many things, a member of numerous outdoor clubs, a tournament bass angler, and a cancer-survivor who takes great joy in helping to get youth involved in the outdoors. During our discussion, I could see this joy on his face as he explained how “kids call me the fish guy, the guy who brought the salmon to the classroom.” He added, “It is great to see the smiles on the faces of the students who get to interact with the project, and knowing that they are gaining a greater understanding of our local outdoors is the best part about it.” Elliot has plans to enlarge the project even further on a local scale. “There are schools up the Peninsula which might be interested, and hopefully we can bring the total up to twenty classroom hatcheries locally if all goes well,” he noted.


    Newly hatched chinook salmon fry rest on the bottom of the LHFC classroom hatchery in
    Meridith White's grade 9 science class at Sacred Heat High school in Walkerton.


    I am sure that the educational gain the LHFC classroom hatchery provides students is exceptional, as is the impact this project has on the kids and their understanding of this facet of the great outdoors. To be able to witness the early life of a salmon within the classroom is a pretty neat learning tool. I think we can only hope that more schools across Grey and Bruce adopt the program, or one like it. Anything which strives to involve youth in the outdoor world or conservation of our wondrous natural resources can be counted a positive step towards educating the next generation of anglers, hunters, politicians, teachers and minds of the future. Thus, “hats off” to Mrs. White and all of her fellow teachers who have incorporated the hatchery into their classrooms, and a solid pat on the back to Richard Elliot and the Lake Huron Fishing Club who have initiated and maintained such a positive project. Oh, and good luck to all of the hatchery fish!
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