Students from École Percy Pegler released rainbow trout they raised into Emerson Lake in High River on Friday morning.
For the last five months, Grade 3 and 4 students from the Explore: Nature Based Learning program raised rainbow trout from eggs, caring for them until they were ready to be released into the ecosystem.
The day began with the class testing the temperature of the water, and the pH levels, before carefully introducing their fish into the lake.
“The kids are really attached to the fish. They've done an awesome job raising them, they’ve done every step of the process themselves,” Kayla Campbell, Explore Teacher said. “It sounds like most of the fish were pretty enthusiastic about their new home.”
Throughout the program, students learned all about the ecosystem and life cycles.
“A couple of times a week, we would observe the fish, test the water, and talk about their behaviour,” Campbell said.
In addition to learning the science curriculum, students also learned responsibility.
“They do all the fish care, the water changes, and they feed the fish,” Campbell said. “We had to do this massive filter change part way through, they watched the instructional video, took notes, and then went through the whole process.”
Campbell explained that because the program is accessible to every student regardless of their abilities, and every student is actively involved, the experience will leave a lasting impact on them.
“It's hands-on, it makes it tangible, it's deep learning, and it's lasting learning,” Campbell said. “When these kids are adults, they will remember this.”
The program is run by the Government of Alberta, with the Bow Habitat Station supplying the fish eggs.
“When they stock a pond, it's the same fish we’re growing, we just had to follow very strict rules to grow them to a standard where they're allowed to be released,” Campbell said. “You can't just raise fish and release them. It has to be very controlled.”
For the program, the provincial government selects which water bodies would benefit from additional rainbow trout, and if the water quality is suitable for the fish.
Campbell then chose where to release the fish from an approved list of water bodies.
“Emerson Lake is a place kids can come back to on their own,” she said. “If they want to come and visit their fish, then they can come back.”