Virtual Trout in the Classroom
Youtube channel- feather river trout unlimited TIC
UPDATE: 5/10/2020 The last video of our series was video number four. We experienced some technical difficulties with the tank and the best course of action was to release the surviving juveniles that day. We came out with 15-20, so I will call that a win with some lessons learned for next round. Follow the our fellow Empire Redwood Trout Unlimited feed for fun updates from DFW CAEP leaders and other scientists. Follow our YouTube channel- Feather River Trout Unlimited TIC (<— click there) to see all our videos for the 2020 virtual Trout in the Classroom.
BUT………….
follow the TIC journey with our fellow tic’ers from the bay area region
We may have wrapped up our latest TIC, but you can view the latest video on the Empire Redwood Trout Unlimited. This one is from Friday May 8th 11am - What’s a rainbow trout and what’s a steelhead, Tank Time with Tom, ask a biologist and more.
You can also view their live feed here; tank times are from 10am-4pm.
Rainbow Trout Incubation:
Day by day
Day 23: Early release (kind of).
Unfortunately, we experienced some technical difficulties with our aquarium and since the the fish were developed in to juvenile, I made the decision to go ahead and release what we had. As scientists, we are constantly looking for the best and most efficient methods to doing things, and we learn as we go.
One thing the team experimented with this year was larger size gravel for the alevin to hide in once they emerged. What we didn’t account for, was the fish hiding so deep, they go beneath the under gravel filter, causing some mortality and probably ultimately what impacted the health of the aquarium.
Next round, we can still use the larger size gravel, but and smaller size under that so they can’t get into the under gravel filter space.
The juvenile rainbow trout were released at Snake Lake this year, but any nearby water source approved by the Department of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Biologist will work.
I have a past TIC’er teacher who claims some juveniles he released along the bike path in downtown Quincy (behind the newspaper) come back to that place each year. Check it out, I’ve seen it for myself! Do you know where the water comes from? What about where that water will end up?
Day 13: Where have the fish gone?
In this weeks YouTube video, I mentioned that the fish tend to go in to hiding at this stage. This is to protect themselves from predation. I had a hard time getting any on camera. They still have their egg sacs attached and use that as a food source.
Day 7: Heads or Tails?
99% of the eggs have hatched. That was fast! The temperature the tank was at, around 52 degrees Fahrenheit allowed the eggs to hatch quicker. At this point, I moved them from the basket into the rest of the tank so they could bury down into the rocks.
The eggs I received from the hatchery were triploid (non reproducing) eggs, do you think those hatch faster or slower than diploid (reproducing) eggs?
Day 4
Some eggs are starting to emerge! The more vibrant pink are the eggs where the heads and tails are starting to emerge from. The eyes look extra big on a few of the other eggs.
Day 1:
How Many Eggs?
This is the batch we received from the Mt. Shasta Fish Hatchery.
Here, the eggs are in the eyed stage, see the little black dots? Those are their eyes!
How many eggs do you estimate are in the basket? How many do you expect to to make it to the juvenile stage?
RESOURCES AND CURRICULUM
CA Department of Fish and Wildlife: California Aquatic Educational Program (CAEP) has some great resources to explore but here are a few popular links:
Internal Trout Anatomy Handout, with labels (PDF)
Fish and fire (older students)
Toxic Ashes and Charred Forests Threaten Water After North Bay Fires (PDF)
tu’s trout in the classroom