Grade 5 students received a very exciting delivery on Tuesday (Jan 17). A representative from Oceans & Fisheries dropped off chum salmon eggs.
Beverly O’Connor gave a brief presentation to the girls, explaining the life cycle of the salmon, and how to care for the eggs.
Within this unit, the students get an opportunity to discuss the ways in which animals reproduce. The girls will experience the salmon life cycle first hand, from incubation to hatching, and learn how temperature plays a role in egg development.
The time it takes eggs to hatch depends on the water temperature. The eggs should hatch around mid-February. Due to the generous support of parents, we have a special cooling unit to keep the temperature between 6-8 Celsius. Warm water would kill the eggs!
Ms. O’Connor also brought the food needed for the “alevins” once they have depleted their food sacs. The girls will keep them as “fry” for 2-3 weeks and then will release them at a designated creek at Spanish Banks.
The Grade 5’s are acting as “Senior Caretakers” and are responsible for twice daily monitoring of the tank. They will also do the release at Spanish Banks. The Grade 2’s are called “Junior Caretakers” and they will use their acute observation skills to notice any changes and catch things that were missed.