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Image courtesy of Kitsap Sun
This article is courtesy of Kitsap Sun, written by Jessie Darland, published on Jan 30, 2021.
A longtime program bringing live salmon into classrooms for students to raise is going virtual this year, and kids have already been watching baby salmon called alevin hatching from their eggs.
Kitsap County staff are raising baby salmon in a tank and sharing updates online. “Tank Talk” episodes will be uploaded for students to observe the salmon’s life cycle and listen to guest speakers, said Pat Kirschbaum, education and outreach coordinator for Kitsap Public Works Stormwater Division. People can also submit their salmon questions, which could be featured in a Tank Talk, or an educator can answer through email.
The salmon hatch from eggs in the tank and grow until they’re ready to be released into Clear Creek in the spring.
The Salmon in the Classroom program has been around for over 30 years. Students in elementary schools around Kitsap have raised salmon eggs donated by the Suquamish Tribe’s Grovers Creek Hatchery in tanks in their classrooms. Students see the fish go from egg to alevin to fry, learning from their teachers and through observation about salmon and their life cycle. The fish are released to the creek in mid- to late March right before spring break.