Tank to Stream: a New Perspective

Tank to Stream; Trout in the classroom

     Many people involved with Trout Unlimited witness the release of the trout, and some the delivery of the embryos, but few are present in the class as they grow, and change.  As the coordinator of my school’s trout in the classroom, I was provided with this unique experience.  It was very interesting to see which trout did the best, and how they responded to changing tank conditions.

   One of the benefits of this program is that more of the trout that dart around near the surface tend to survive than those dormant on the bottom.  This is great, because the students become more attached to the trout that they can see moving around. These fish became larger, because they stayed near the surface because the food floats.  The fish are becoming trained to attack food on the surface, creating a sportier fish.  These larger fish chase away the smaller ones to obtain prime holding water, near the surface on the side of the tank with the most dissolved oxygen in this battle for survival.  In this way, a sort of natural selection was building up the biggest and strongest fish that could survive in the wild.  By far the most interesting part of this program was watching alongside of the excited students, how much like it happens in the wild, the trout compete for survival.