A sign on the banks of Trout Run. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
By NATALIE SANDROCK
Student contributor
Contributions by HUNTER REDFIELD and AVA FISCHER
Students in Cranberry’s Envirothon class went on their annual trip to help the Fish and Boat Commission collect steelhead trout on Dec. 9 at Trout Run.
Students got to help catch and vaccinate the steelhead.
On this trip, students have the opportunity to learn a great deal about the conservation of steelhead trout.
In the words of Lauri Piercy, the teacher who runs the Envirothon class, students “learn about habitat quality” and the importance of conservation.
The collection is done by the PA Fish and Boat Commission to help with population control and disease prevention.
The fish are collected and then taken to a hatchery where they will be kept for about one week.
Once their time in the hatchery is up, the fish are milked because they can not reproduce on their own. Through this, the steelhead population stays regulated. After this process, the adult fish are released.
The young fish that result from this are also released once they are old enough to ensure the survival of the species.
Student Jacob Umstead focuses to catch steelhead. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Students Reyna Watson and Aubrey Stewart use teamwork to catch steelhead. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Student Bradley Thompson kisses a female steelhead. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Aidan Kightlinger, Dodge Peterson, and Bradley Thompson caught a brown trout. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Cranberry High School science teacher Dustin Wenner talks to Sylas Fox and Jacob Umstead about steelhead fish. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Sylas Fox tries to catch a steelhead fish. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
A student catches steelhead to give to the PA Fish and Boat Commission. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Aidan Kightlinger uses a net to try to catch steelhead fish. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
A close up of a male steelhead fish (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Colin Zerbe picks up steelhead fish out of the net. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Eben Wry catches a handful of steelhead fish. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Cranberry High School science teacher Lauri Piercy tries to hold a slippery steelhead fish. (By Ava Fischer/Student contributor)
Natalie Sandrock, Hunter Redfield and Ava Fischer are students at Cranberry High School and members of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications class.
