Working with a $3,500 grant from IP, the students are revitalizing the trout-hatching program.
By Donna M. Perry
Staff Writer

JAY – They turned a fish tragedy into a learning experience. Now they’re raising 280 more trout fry and are heading to state competition.

The trout-raising project was just one of several projects these teenagers and their adviser Rob Taylor worked on to prepare for regional and state competition. The Jay High School Envirothon Team came in third in regional competition Friday. They head to a state contest Thursday, May 29.

Baby trout, about three-quarters of an inch long, swam in schools Monday just below the water’s surface in a large fish tank at the end of a hallway near Taylor’s classroom.

It’s the second hatch of fry the students have attempted to raise this school year. It has been a “frustrating” project at times but very educational, Taylor said.

Taylor received a $3,500 grant from International Paper to buy equipment to revitalize the trout-hatching program at the school last fall. Students helped install a custom-designed water chiller and a filtration system for the tank.

In November, Taylor and his students received 300 brook trout eggs from the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife hatchery in Phillips. About 270 of the eggs hatched in January and everything seemed fine until February when the baby trout began to swim erratically and sit lethargically on the bottom, Taylor said. Students ran tests and determined the water’s dissolved oxygen, ammonia, temperature, phosphorus, carbon dioxide and nitrogen levels were all normal. They theorized that fish could be stressed due to lack of cover so clay pots were added to the tank to provide structure. But despite their efforts, Taylor said, a massive fish kill occurred and only seven fish survived.

Team members returned from a state environmental conference, with a clue to why the fish died – heavy metal contamination, since it affects the central nervous system and could explain the odd behavior. A sample of water from the school’s outside water faucet from where the tank was filled was sent to a state laboratory. The results showed elevated levels of lead and copper, most likely due to normal leaching of the school’s plumbing, Taylor said. Team members tested inside water faucets at the school and determined that water was safe with “virtually no lead present.”

Tests indicated “excessive lead in the outdoor faucet was due to extended sitting time in the pipes,” Taylor said.

The tank was filled with brook water and about 280 new trout fry from the Phillips’ hatchery and the fish seemed to be doing fine, Taylor said.

Team members have also had their data on water quality at Little Parker Pond published as part of the state’s Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program.

Taylor said he was “very, very happy” with his young team’s finish, especially in a mostly Class A school contest. The team was tested on forestry, wildlife management, soils and farmland protection.

Binders for each of the test categories are filled with about 3 inches of paper information students must know.

They received a total score of 352.5 out of a possible 500 score at the regional envirothon.

It was a “very hard test,” Taylor said. They scored 76.5 in soils, 91 in forestry, 32.5 in wildlife, 65.5 in aquatic and 87 on farmland protection.

Jenna Lord said team members meet for two hours on Sundays to prepare for competition, including studying laws.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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