Dozens of 2-inch-long, young trout were scooped up out of a plastic cooler and individually released into the Catawba River by Hickory High School students.
The release was at South Mountains State Park at the Jacob Fork tributary of the Catawba River on April 17.
The students were in Hickory High School Science Teacher Kasady Carroll's classes. This was Carroll's fifth year raising trout with her classes through the nonprofit Trout Unlimited.
Trout Unlimited is a nationwide organization devoted to the conservation of rivers, salmon and trout. The Hickory chapter of Trout Unlimited began in 1963.
There were five schools with classes raising trout with the help of the Hickory Trout Unlimited this year. The schools were Hickory High, Tuttle Elementary, Riverbend Middle, North Lincoln High and Burns Middle, Chick Woodward with Hickory Trout Unlimited said.
"I think the most important part of the project is truly having a hands-on experience for the kids," Carroll said. "I think it's just bringing them into nature, because a lot of times, I mean, the days that we're living in, these kids need to be connected to nature and having a project that brings them to a river where there's no phone service, and they have the opportunity to release these fish back into nature after nurturing them and taking care of them for months. It's really just a beautiful thing."
Along with releasing the trout, N.C. Wildlife Ranger Ethan Richardson taught the students about various animals and insects living in the river. Richardson gave the students nets and showed them how to find the different creatures hiding under rocks. Hickory Trout Unlimited's Dave Dellinger showed the students how to make their own lures for fly fishing. Hickory Trout Unlimited's Gary Schnick showed the students how to cast a fly-fishing pole.
Carroll's class received about 100 trout eggs in September. Of the 100, about 50 trout hatched and survived until released into the wild. The eggs take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to hatch, Carroll said.
Once the trout hatched and started to grow, Carroll's students had to feed the fish and check the pH levels and temperature of the water. Keeping the fish alive is the most difficult part of the project, Carroll said.
"It's not as easy as you think it's going to be, because most people are used to pet fish, right?
And these are trout," Carroll said. "Usually, people don't have trout as pets. Usually, you have a goldfish or a beta fish or just something chill, where all they do is just swim by themselves back and forth in the tank. So having trout, they are a little particular. Usually, you find trout in fresh, clean water, and so you have to make sure that their environment is the same in the classroom."
Carroll teaches earth and environmental sciences. The trout project matches perfectly with the class's curriculum since they learn about water quality and North Carolina river basins, Carroll said.
Carroll said she loves the experience of raising trout with her students to teach them about nature conservation and the responsibilities of taking care of a living creature. Carroll recently got a tattoo to celebrate her love for trout. Many of her students choose to sit and watch the trout swimming in the tank while they do their schoolwork.
"Everybody wants a classroom pet," Carroll said. "I have students, actually, that I don't even teach, that will stop by and say, 'Please, let me go on your field trip. I want to go. I want to release the trout,' or they'll stop by, I don't even know their names, and they'll say, 'Hey, can I come in and look at the trout?'"
Two of Carroll's students, Asher Jenkins and Alexandra McGuire, both 15, found fun in the process.
"I think the most important thing I learned was definitely like taking care of the fish," McGuire said. "And I didn't think it was going to be super fun, but it was really fun. And we all got to work together, you know, and help the fish out, and they're super cute."
Jenkins said the class's favorite fish, affectionately named Big Moe due to its size, died after jumping out of the fish tank one weekend. Moe was one of two fish that escaped due to an improperly closed tank lid.
"He was the biggest one I've ever seen, and this is my fifth year doing this," Carroll said. "It was pretty, pretty impressive and a sad loss, but we learned a lesson."
Sarah Johnson is the courts and breaking news reporter for the Hickory Daily Record.
