Baby trout teach local students about pollution and sustainability

Portland Water District’s TroutKids Program – The Release

As students release hundreds of baby brook trout into a local stream in the culmination of the Portland Water District’s TroutKids Program, they will also gain insight into local water issues!

Students have been raising brook trout since January.  During the project the students have studied watersheds, the water cycle, the trout life cycle, and related environmental topics such as stormwater runoff.  The trout are now at the “fry” stage and are ready to be placed into a suitable river or stream.  On the day of release, students will perform water quality tests and macroinvertebrate sampling, and conduct shoreline assessments to ensure the new habitat is healthy for the trout.  Then each student will release a trout fry into the river. By involving local students in the project, they can connect to the stream and take a role in its future protection. 

The Portland Water District coordinates the TroutKids Program, which serves over 700 students, as one of its environmental education programs. This year, the following schools will be doing trout releases in May: Gorham Middle School, Greely Middle School (Cumberland), Mahoney Middle School (South Portland), and Jordan Small Middle School (Raymond).

FMI on the trout program.

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