Trout in the Classroom at Richboro Elementary School

Spring 2008

This year the Richboro Elementary Ecology Club participated in a new program to raise trout in Pennsylvania schools. Trout in the Classroom, sponsored by the Pennsylvania State Parks in partnership with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, provided the necessary materials. In January the water was conditioned in a chilled tank. Several weeks later, approximately 45 brown trout arrived to be cared for by the teachers and children. Throughout the spring the students delighted in watching the trout grow. In their early life the fish were less than an inch long. By mid-April some had reached three inches!

On April 18 a Pennsylvania State Park ranger took 30 trout to a spring-fed stream near Lahaska to be released. The fish were released on private property and will not be used for fishing. They will grow to approximately twelve inches and will be joined by the 15 that remain at Richboro Elementary at a later release date. In the meantime, students will enjoy watching the remaining trout continue to mature.

This valuable program increased the awareness of native fish and their specific needs. Students learned that the healthy lives of all animals in our area depend upon stewardship of the local environment. Because of the tank’s central location, the entire school community was interested in the fish and was excited to see them grow.