The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, Aquatic Education Program is holding its annual ‘Salmon in the Classroom’ educational event with two coho salmon egg takes for elementary aged students on the Kenai Peninsula. The first egg take is scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, at Bear Creek near Seward and the second egg take is scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, at the Anchor River in Anchor Point.
ADF&G staff will be on hand conducting hourly presentations at both locations. Classes will be attending the Bear Creek presentations from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the Anchor River presentations are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Classes are required to preregister. Approximately 550 students are registered to attend.
During these educational events, the students will have the opportunity to participate in the egg takes and learn about the Pacific salmon life cycle, egg fertilization, external anatomy, adult and juvenile salmon identification, and habitat requirements. Those attending the Bear Creek egg take will have the opportunity to learn about the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association’s Bear Creek weir. Each class will take approximately 200 fertilized eggs back to their classroom or school to observe while eggs develop into free-swimming coho salmon fry. The coho salmon incubation projects are part of the “Salmon in the Classroom” program which educates students about salmon biology in their classroom throughout the school year. The coho salmon fry from these incubation projects will be released next spring back into Bear Creek or at an ADF&G permitted, landlocked, stocked lake.
Schools or classes unable to attend this year’s events will have fertilized eggs delivered to their school. 21 classes from 15 schools are participating in the program this year. Other components of the “Salmon in the Classroom” program include salmon dissections, ice fishing and elementary schools get to attend the ADF&G “Salmon Celebration” in the spring.