Native Fish in the Classroom

Native Fish in the Classroom

What is Native Fish in the Classroom?

Goal:

Native-Fish-logo

To assist students in developing an attitude of stewardship toward Louisiana’s natural resources and to provide for them a constructive, active learning situation in which students can explore strategies for sustaining our aquatic ecosystems.

Objectives:

  • Provide students in grades 6th through 12th with background information on fisheries management, fish biology, protected species, and aquatic natural resources.
  • Maintain a classroom-based nursery aquarium in which students grow native, Louisiana fish, paddlefish, from eggs to fingerlings.
  • Produce paddlefish that can be used by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Booker Fowler Fish Hatchery to help manage a protected fish population in Louisiana.
  • Assist students in developing an attitude of stewardship toward the state’s natural resources. Students will gain awareness of freshwater ecological systems by helping prevent the loss of a protected fish, benefiting the whole freshwater system.

Why paddlefish?

  • Paddlefish spawning cycles coincide with the spring semester of school year
  • Paddlefish eggs are large enough to view with the naked eye
  • They have distinctive life-stages and develop into fingerlings in about a month and a half
  • They are a regulated species of conservation concern in Louisiana
  • They are a living fossil

How do paddlefish get to the classroom?

  • Qualified candidates, who teach 6th through 12th grade students in Louisiana, may apply. However, this program is geared towards science-based content which is aligned to the state standards.
  • Candidates will submit an application, attend all workshops, the spawn event, and the release event.
  • The candidate’s principal will provide a letter of support for the program through the application process.
  • The application period opens in the spring and closes June 30th of each year.

Participation in NFC includes:

  • Two training workshops: summer and winter which focus on biology, fisheries management, aquaculture maintenance, importance of native species, and stewardship
  • Teacher manual: background information, aquaria setup and maintenance, and lesson plans
  • Equipment loaned by LDWF: aquaria setup and supplies
  • Support: who to contact for help and trouble-shooting
  • Logging classroom hours through an online portal and completing an end of year survey

Schedule:

  • July/August: attend orientation workshop
  • September: set up tank in classroom and stock with catfish or bluegill
  • September-December: continually monitor water quality and tank maintenance
  • January/February: pre-spawn workshop
  • March: attend spawn event (bring eggs back to school with you)
  • March-April: rearing of fish to fingerling size
  • April/May: return fingerlings to the Mermentau River Basin in Jennings

For more information, contact: