Science classes get hands-on fish experience

There's something fishy happening at Plains High School, and the new science teacher is definitely involved. It's also been discovered that he did the same thing at his former school at St. Regis.

Plains High School science teacher Brooks Sanford received about 150 Arlee rainbow trout eggs from Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks' (FWP) Jocko Fish Hatchery in Arlee in mid-November as part of a project for his sophomore biology and chemistry students, who will study the growth of the fish for the next six months, taking weekly readings, measurements and weights.

Sanford and the 37 biology students traveled to the hatchery in November to pick up the eggs, each the size of a pin head when they were dumped into the 150-gallon acrylic tank for incubation. The FWP hatchery does not charge for the fish eggs because they were part of an educational program. The eggs began hatching on November 23 and within a week they were about a quarter of an inch long, but still had their yolk sack attached. Sanford selected the rainbow trout because the Arlee strain of rainbow trout from the hatchery had been genetically modified through artificial selection to spawn in the fall, but the class will be studying a wide variety of Montana species during the year.

"They're not as excited right now, but I think they will be once the fish start getting bigger," said Sanford, who taught the same curriculum during his five years as a science teacher at St. Regis High School.

Most of the trout eggs hatched at night, but some did so during the day for students to see. When first hatched, they clung to the bottom and were tough to spot in the beige gravel. Pepper Lulack said it was interesting to see the fish with the egg sack still attached to its belly. Sanford even had a large sign made, "Aquatic Science Center."

"They look super cool, they're super small, but I'm looking forward to when they grow bigger," said student Caleb Lakko. Flip Hoes, a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands and a junior in Sanford's biology and chemistry classes, conducted a pH level test on the fish soon after they hatched, something the chemistry students will be doing throughout the year. Hoes is one of two juniors in the chemistry class and the only junior in the biology class. The chemistry students are also responsible for determining the ammonia levels every week and they will make any corrective actions necessary to the water chemistry, according to Sanford.

"Biology students will work on this project for the remainder of the year. They will calculate length to weight ratios, growth rates versus feeding regimen, fish density and the effects of ammonia and dissolved oxygen levels on fish metabolism and overall health," said Sanford.

Last Wednesday was the first time the students took fish from the tank in order to take their first calculations. The students will take turns performing different tasks for the study. It was also the first time the fish were introduced to their high protein fish meal, which was administered by students Django Oakcedar and Violet Thain. Sanford told the group that only a portion of the newborns will probably eat at first. Maddy Blood and Wyatt Butcher were the first to catch 10 baby trout, called "parr" at this point. Teagan Thomas was picked as recorder for the first session. Wednesday was the beginning of the the conditioning process in order to acclimate them to regular feedings.

Butcher had the job of measuring the parrs. The 10 caught fish were placed in water in a clear Petri dish with a ruler below it. The fish averaged 25.5 millimeters in length and averaged in weight .15 grams. Butcher held each fish over the ruler and reported the length to Thomas. He had to confine each one over the ruler for the length, but wanted to do it gently so as to not harm the fish. He got each one within 5-10 seconds, except the last one, which kept squirming from between his fingers. "He was really being difficult," said the sophomore.

"What happens when they get big? Do we put them in a fish bowl?" asked Blood. Alexis Deming asked if they were going to eat them. The fish will be kept untilthe end of the school year, at which time they will be released in a large pond in St. Regis, said Sanford, where they released the fish when he conducted the same experiment at St. Regis School.

Also on Wednesday, week three of having the fish, the students started a spreadsheet to keep a record of the trouts' weight and length on a weekly basis throughout the year. They also made a prediction of their weight and length for week 15. The student with the closest prediction will win a T-shirt from the hatchery.

Sanford said that at that time, they will probably make a change in the tank's water temperature or the density of fish by removing some of them. He said they'll also probably change the food regimen. Any taken from the tank will be released at a pond in St. Regis. The trout will probably be three or four inches long when released, said Sanford.

Sanford has been a teacher for six years, after getting a wildlife resources degree from the University of Idaho and working as a fisheries biologist with Idaho Fish and Game for four years. "During that time I got to spend some time in several hatcheries tagging fish and I was intrigued with the process, so it was fun to pass that on to the students," said the 51-year-old Sanford, who was born and raised in North Dakota. He also owned his own fly fishing business and still periodically continues to guide fishermen.

Sanford brought the fish tank with him from St. Regis. It had been a gift from Bryan Duncan, a retired aquatic science teacher from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, but Sanford donated the tank to Plains High School. He said that seeing the fish grow is a great way for the students to learn. "This hands-on project is a fun way to engage students and it gives them a view of practical, real world application of science," he said. "Students are already excited about the project and there is usually a crowd of curious onlookers around the fish tank at the beginning of each class," said Sanford, who added that he is pleased to be a part of the "excellent teaching staff here at Plains Public Schools." He said he appreciates the staff and administration for their support of his aquatic project.

"I think the students of Plains High School can be proud to have a state-of-the-art cold water fish lab where they can see and touch science," said Sanford. "Over the next few weeks, many of our elementary teachers will be bringing their students to the Aquatic Science Center for lessons on fish life cycle and water chemistry, and just to observe the fish," he said.