Rainbow trout at Central

The library at Whitecourt Central School has a lot to look at these days. A large aquarium in the room is now home to 63 Rainbow Trout. Sixty-five eggs were delivered to the aquarium in mid-January and after a week, 63 of the fish hatched and are still alive.

“They are growing and growing and looking more like fish every day,” said Assistant Principal Tim Bowman.

This has never been done before at WCS or anywhere else in Alberta. The school is one of only 41 schools accepted for the Fish in Schools (FinS) program from Alberta Environment. And, says Principal Tim Bowman, as long as most of them stay alive, the school can continue being a part of the program in years to come. “In the wild, less than 10 per cent survive the first year of life. We expect to have a much higher survival rate in our controlled environment thanks to the extra special care they are getting.”

Keeping them alive does take some special care. They require careful monitoring of water, lighting, and food conditions to grow. The tank has been cooled to just 10 degrees Celsius, and is enclosed to eliminate most of the light to make it seem like the depths of a real river. The fish themselves have to be watched, too. “Sometimes they hide in the gravel and get stuck,” said Bowman.

Some of the students are helping feed the fish and keep the tank clean, but mostly they are just getting an up close and personal look at life in action. In June, when the fish reach fingerling size, they will be released into a local pond.