This program, one of many educational programs of the SWF, provides Saskatchewan students with a firsthand look at fish and aquatic habitats in their very own classroom. The program involves raising trout from eggs to fry, before releasing them in a provincially stocked waterbody.
In January/ February, they place eyed trout eggs into special classroom incubators. Over the following 3 to 4 months, students care for the fish by monitoring and maintaining the conditions required for the trout to thrive. In May/June, the trout are ready to be released by the students.
This is an opportunity for schools to get involved with their local SWF branch and for SWF branches to give back at a local level. Enrollment of a school in a FinS should be endorsed by a local SWF branch, who will act as a liaison between the school and the provincial FinS coordinator at the S.W.F. Central Office branch. Branches are responsible for helping with equipment setup and maintenance, delivering eggs to the school and assisting with the release of the fish.
The school is responsible for providing their fish tank, and the SWF provides any additional equipment plus the manual, which outlines operating instructions. The school or the branch is responsible for covering the initial cost of about $1500.00, and that is where the Southey Loon Creek branch comes in. Not only did we do this for our local school, but we provided the Lumsden school with two years of chemical to keep their FinS program going.
The Loon Creek SWF branch would like to thank the principal, Kathleen Istace, for being so enthusiastic and supportive to teacher Brady Aulie, who heads the outdoor education program at Robert Southey School. Mr. Aulie’s class will house the fish tank and the equipment in his classroom.
Keep an eye out for more pictures and articles on the progress of the FinS program and the development of the eyed trout eggs from Robert Southey School.
-Larry Pfliger, Loon Creek Wildlife
