Salmon in the classroom

Transcription

1 Salmon in the classroom Lochaber Fisheries Trust Registered Office: Torlundy Training Centre, Torlundy, Fort William, Inverness-shire. PH33 6SW Telephone: Company Registration Number: Scottish Charity Number: SC A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE A project funded by Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Government & RAFTS

2 RIVERS IN THE CLASSROOM PROJECT OUTLINE Salmon in the Classroom sets out to establish a programme in local primary schools in Lochaber that will engender a caring attitude towards freshwater ecosystems containing important local and UK Biodiversity Action Species such as Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussels and otters. This project is aimed at encouraging children s participation in conservation through; 1. Fostering an awareness of conservation and habitat management 2. Developing a knowledge of salmon or trout life cycle 3. Appreciating how man can influence the natural environment 4. Encouraging an empathy and knowledge of the threats to freshwater and coastal environments of Scotland 5. Illustrating the naturally occurring factors present in our rivers that might affect salmon and trout survival. 6. Developing an understanding of salmon or trout as an environmental indicator of the health of a river. 7. Understanding mans influence on the river and the plants and animals within the river. The project, which is aimed at pupils in primary four to seven (P4-7), presents an approach to the study of conservation, promoting active learning and involving the life history of salmon and/ or trout as a tool to promote children s awareness of river ecology in general. Salmon or trout eggs will be taken into the classroom and kept in a self containing hatchery (i.e. an aquarium). Pupils will be actively involved in looking after the fish eggs, monitoring their progress and finally helping to stock the fish into a suitable burn near the school. In addition to the salmon/ trout hatching and stocking project, the Fisheries Trust biologist will organise class-room teaching and field days to raise the pupils awareness of freshwater ecosystems and factors affecting freshwater habitats and species. These will also show how both pupils and local communities can assist with caring for their local burns, rivers and wetlands and the species that inhabit them. The project consists of the following stages: School day (November/December): Biologist meets with teachers from individual schools to inform about the project, identify a suitable site for the classroom hatchery tank. The incubator-tanks consist of two small fish tanks connected by pipes to allow circulation of water. One tank contains a filter system, an air pump and freezer blocks (to maintain cool water temperature). The other contains clean gravel, into which the salmon eggs are placed. The tank will have to be situated in a cool area to reduce large fluctuations in daily water temperature. Together with the teacher, the biologist will help to develop a risk assessment for all phases of the project. School presentation & establishing a classroom hatchery & games (January): The biologist will visit each school and give a Power Point presentation to the pupils taking part. The first part of the presentation will give an overall introduction to freshwater ecology, i.e. typical habitats and species found in and near freshwater, the main problems to which many freshwaters are exposed and how we can help to look after freshwater systems and species that depend on fresh water for their survival. As many local examples and photographs as possible will be used during the presentation.

3 The second part of the presentation will be tailored towards the salmon/ trout life cycle, their requirements and how to keep salmon/ trout eggs into the classroom. After the presentation the pupils will be given approximately 100 eggs they will stock into the incubator tanks and the practical aspects of caring for the eggs in the classroom hatchery (i.e. water temperature, oxygen requirements, hygiene etc) will be explained. A game based around the salmon lifecycle will be played: this requires a hall or outside space as it is an active game! Daily husbandry of salmon/ trout hatchery (Late January to just before Easter) The pupils will have the daily responsibility of looking after the fish in the hatchery and will also be able to follow the development of the young fish for approximately two months before they are released in the local burn. Day to day work includes the maintenance of water flow, water temperature, water exchange and removal of dead eggs. Field day - release of salmon/ trout to the local burn (Before Easter) After the eggs have hatched and their yolk sac is absorbed, the salmon/ trout juveniles will be transferred to small plastic transport bags (each pupil will receive their own fish bag ). The pupils will be guided to their local river where the fish will be released into the local burn. During the field day the biologist and volunteers will also take the opportunity to introduce pupils, teachers and parents to freshwater ecosystems. We will look at other animals and plants associated with freshwater, their main requirements, potential problems local burns may be facing, and how we can all assist in looking after our local freshwater resources. Electro-fishing day (June) Pupils return to the burn with the biologists to look for the fish that they reared in the classroom. Fish are caught by the Trust biologists using electro-fishing equipment, i.e. specialist equipment used for all juvenile fish surveys. The pupils will see how the fish have grown since they were released, habitats important to fish will be pointed out and they will gain understanding of why many animals, including fish thrive in some places but not in others (appendix III).

4 Development of eggs and hatching The class will watch the eggs develop and they can record information on a record sheet like the one on the next page. In addition to this drawings can be made of the different stages and comments recorded on the same sheet. It is important to record the temperature at least once a day in order to know that the eggs are not getting too warm. The water temperature must NOT get above 12 degrees C, or the eggs will start to die. By doing this at the same time each day it is also possible to predict the day that the eggs will hatch; This is done by calculating degree days. Because the fish inside the eggs will develop faster the greater the temperature they will not hatch after a set number of days, but rather after a set number of degree days or cumulative temperatures. It is known that Salmon eggs take 400 degree days between the eggs being fertilised and hatching. You will receive the eggs when they have degree days left till hatching. It is then 300 degree days for the fish to absorb the yolk before they will need to be released. You will not need to feed the fish at any stage. So if the temperature is 6 degrees every day then 200/6 = 33 days 250/6 = 42 days So the eggs will hatch sometime between 33 and 42 days from delivery. Or If the average temperature is 10 degrees on average then 200/10 = 20 days, 250/10 = 25 days So the eggs will hatch between 20 and 25 days from delivery Temperature and mortality of eggs can then be logged on graphs which are included as examples.

5 School Hatchery Record table for Eggs. Date Water Temperature ( C) Degree Days Mortalities (number of eggs) Comments

6 25/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ Salmon in the classroom Project by Lochaber Fisheries Trust Daily temperature 06/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/2006 Date 05/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/2006 temp deg C

7 25/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ Salmon in the classroom Project by Lochaber Fisheries Trust Degree days graph 07/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/2006 date 06/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/2006 degree days

8 27/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ Salmon in the classroom Project by Lochaber Fisheries Trust Survival graph 07/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/2006 Date 06/02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/ /02/2006 number of surviving eggs

9 Showing changes in temp over the day deg C :00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 time