Well would you look at all them trout!

By Anthony Pecjak
April 28, 2017

OHIOPYLE – Ohiopyle State Park in The Laurel Highlands has gained some new members, those in which love to swim.

Environmental teacher, Mrs. Burkett, alongside fellow students, took a trip to a tributary of the Youghiogheny River known as Meadow run on April 18th.

Mrs. Burkett, the club sponsor of Envirothon and the teacher of Environmental science at Mapletown High School, has held a trout release program for four years. She started the program during the 2013-2014 school season.

This school season the school had received the Brook Trout, which are the only native trout to Pennsylvania, in late October 2016. The Envirothon club along with both her Environmental Science and Environmental Science II Honors classes ran the trout release.

This gist of the program is to raise trout in the classroom long enough until they are mature enough to survive, and have grown to a suitable size to survive in the wild. At this point, with careful determination, the trout may be released.

What are the preparations and tactics to raising trout carefully, healthy, and accurately?

Mrs. Burkett gave us information on the process that is initiated for the raising of the trout.

First, a month prior to the arrival of the trout the tank has to be set up where the water can be stabilized. After the eggs are received, they need to be examined, and if any dead organisms are found, they need to be removed. This process has to be acted upon daily.

After the eggs hatch, they begin to feed the trout with small pellets that have the nutrients and health benefits they need to grow. Until the day of release, the tank has to be checked for dead fish, the water has to stay at a constant 50 degrees, and three times a week the water has to be checked for the suitable pH, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia measurements.

The students who led and managed the operation throughout this year included Garrett Phillips and Michaela Perry who tested the water and checked for the deceased trout.

Great job to all who participated this year on another successful trout release!