Thank you for visiting our web pages about the Salmonid Enhancement Program (S.E.P.). This program, that our class is currently involved in, is part of a multi-million dollar Federal Provincial project which began in 1977. The aim of the program is to increase salmon stocks (as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout) in British Columbia. The S.E.P. program uses many techniques to rehabilitate salmonid habitat and to increase salmonid populations.

     The program stresses, among its goals, the importance of involving the citizens of British Columbia, generally, and school children in particular, in meaningful and interactive ways with the valuable salmon resource. Program planners reasoned that the more knowledgeable the public became, the more involved they would be with salmon conservation.

     To this end, our class is currently raising salmon in a classroom aquarium. We will follow their development from egg to fry within the classroom, and study about what they will encounter after we release them into a local stream. Over the next few pages, you will see student reports and drawings telling about what the students are learning about this important natural resource.

        Mrs. Brenda Fraser
        Classroom Teacher
        Promontory Heights Elem.
        Chilliwack, B.C.
 

Week 1

In  week  one  we  got  our  Salmon  eggs. We got fifty eggs and the teacher  showed us how to monitor the salmonids. Then the next day we were monitoring the salmonids. Everyone took turns monitoring and cleaning the tank and salmonids. Then on Friday Mrs. Fraser told us that the salmon would be eyed eggs on the weekend. So that is how we got the salmonids.

By Megan and Bianca

The tank setup with Salmon eggs added.

Week 2

In week 2 one egg died. We know it died because it turned white. The rest of the eggs were a pinkish red.When they hatched we started taking their temperature. It was about 10 degrees Celsius.
 

Week 3

In week three there were many exiting things that happened. The eggs hatched into alevin, they have small yolk sacs to provide nourishment. When the alevin hatched they were scared of light, so they hid in the rocks. We were lucky nothing died in week three.

By Averley and Avery

Week 4

This is what happened in week four. The alevin yolk sac is getting absorbed; it is very small. They are starting to change colour. They are starting to develop the features of a young fry. They still will not come out of the rocks. I hoped they would become fry in week 4.

By Jacob

Week 5

A  few salmon are becoming fry. They are still hiding in the rocks. The salmon still need their yolksac because they eat it, but it is much smaller. A few are beginning to swim in the  water.

By Katey and Brenda

Week 6

In week 6 most of the alevin started to become fry. The alevin started absorbing their yolk sacs!  They are not as afraid of the light. A few of the alevin are almost fry. Some of  the alevin are more alevin than fry. Some are more fry than alevin. In week 7 all of the alevin should be fry.

By Elizabeth, Avery and April

Week 7

During the seventh week many things happened to the salmonids. All of our alevin became fry. The fry began swimming to the top of the tank. We fed the fry fish food, because they can eat, because they have no yolk sacs anymore. In week 7 the fry were  2 cm big. They would mostly hang out in one corner of the tank and then swim to another corner to hang out.

By Kile

Later, the class went down to the river to release the salmon into their natural habitat for the beginning of their life in the wild.

A Salmonís life Cycle

The life cycle of a salmon begins in a fresh water stream or a hatchery. The eggs are laid in a read or a nest, a read is a pile of rocks. After the eggs are laid, the male fertilizes the eggs with a milky stream called milt then the female moves to another spot and makes another nest or read and lays more eggs. Around January the eggs become Eyed Eggs, when they are eyed eggs you can see their eyes and back bone, around February they become Alvin. Alvin have a pink yolk sac which has their vitamins, protein, fat, sugar and nutrients. When they absorb their yolk sac they become Fry.  When they are fry they start to eat solid foods. Later in March they become Parr. Parr are 5-10 cm long. They are brown. Parr can leap out of the water.  In the beginning of April the parr become Smolts, parr and smolts are basically the same. The colour of the smolt is silver with a dark black belly. Their bodies begin to develop adaptations that will allow them to survive in salt water. The smolts gradually turn into Young Salmon. The young salmon swim in schools to enter the rivers together. Their predators are: seals, sharks, sea lion, birds, bears, and people. The young salmon soon grow into Adult Salmon. Adult salmon are also called full grown salmon. Soon the adult salmon return to the spawning grounds where they were born, unless it is too polluted or damaged. After the spawning is done the salmon decomposes and becomes food for the microscopic bugs which turn into feed for the next generation of fish!

By Melissa and Ashley

Click on the picture for a day                                   Click on the picture for a day         
in the life of "Elvis the egg"                                     in the life of "Alvin the alevin"

Click on the picture for a day                                Click on the picture for a day
in the life of "Freddie the fry"                                in the life of "Patty the parr"

 Click on the picture for a day in the                  Click on the picture for a dayin the life of
"Sammy the smolt"                                            "Yakey the young salmon"

Click on the picture for a day
in the life of "Ariadne the adult"

What can we do to help Salmon?

These are some ideas to help increase salmon stocks.  Make more hatcheries and raise more salmon in schools.  Also work to prevent flooding, pollution, and overfishing.  Build fewer dams and not building too much around spawning grounds. A final solution is to clean the gravel and to help make better spawning grounds.  In the end the salmon should be fine.

By Kurtis, Kaeden and Sam

Why is it important to increase salmon stocks?

 It is important for salmon to not go extinct so we can have them in the future. It is also important to keep the lakes and rivers clean so the salmon do not die. There are lots of animals like bears, birds, etc. that eat salmon. There are lots of people that make their living on fishing. Salmon are important for the survival of many creatures and people. This is why it is very important to increase salmon stocks.

By Janelle, Marina, and Teigan