Subject
Life science
Objective
Today the students will release their salmon! The objective is to give them a hands on experience with the salmon and finding the safest place in the creek to release their salmon. The students will also be able to explore the stream and learn more about the ecosystem.
Materials
- Tank Siphon (Vacuum)
- Net
- Bucket
- Frozen water bottle
- Clear plastic cups
- Sweep nets (to catch macroinvertebrates)
- River Scavenger Hunt
- Final Salmon Journal
Background
Salmon need a healthy stream habitat to survive and thrive. Just as the tank needed to be cold, clean and clear, the stream that the salmon are released into needs to be cold clean and clear. The salmon that are being released are currently in the fry stage of the life cycle. They will learn to navigate the stream, the current and to find their own food.
The fry will spend a few months in the stream before making their way to the ocean. Many of them will become a food source for other animals in the ecosystem, this is an important part of the food chain. Salmon are a keystone species, meaning that they have an impact on the majority of the organisms in the ecosystem. Salmon are a keystone species because they are an important food source and source of nutrients for much of the ecosystem. The salmon that are able to dodge the predators, get through the dams and make it back from the ocean, will use their sense of smell to find their way to the stream you release them in so they can spawn. So choose your location wisely!
Procedure
- Have a conversation with the students about healthy salmon habitat. Ask them: What does a salmon need? How can we be sure that the water is cold, clean and clear? How many of our salmon will make it back? What happens to the ones that don’t?
- Let them know that they will have time to do some stream exploration, and go over some ground rules. They need to be sure to respect nature (don’t kill anything), respect others (don’t shove anyone in the river) and respect themselves (make sure they are safe and hydrated)
- Use the Tank Siphon to take water from the tank into the bucket, it should be about 2/3 full. Add the frozen bottle if you have far to drive, this helps keep the water cold.
- Use the fish net and transfer all of the fish to the bucket.
- Drive to the chosen release location.
- Discuss the best way to release the salmon, by holding the cup in the water and slowly releasing the fish, it may be helpful to demonstrate with a fish of your own.
- Ask the kids to take 2 min to look around and find the spot that they want to release their salmon.
- Once they have picked their spot they can come to you for a fish. Fill a clear plastic cup with river water and put one fish in the cup.
- Let the student inspect the fish up close, maybe take some pictures, tell it goodbye and good luck, then let them release it in the spot the student picked.
- Hand them a Final Salmon Journal worksheet to reflect on the experience.
- Once they have finished their salmon journal give them a River Scavenger Hunt worksheet and let them safely explore the area.
- If there are remaining fish let the students release some more salmon, or just use the bucket to gently release them in the stream