(Soldotna) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Aquatic Education Program is kicking off the school year with its annual “Salmon in the Classroom” educational event with two coho salmon egg takes for students in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. The first egg take is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at Bear Creek near Seward and the second egg take is scheduled for Thursday, October 8 at the Anchor River in Anchor Point.

ADF&G staff will be conducting hourly presentations at both locations. Individual classes will be attending Bear Creek presentations from 9:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and Anchor River presentations are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Classes are required to preregister. Approximately 200 students are registered to attend at this time. Students attending the educational activities will practice social distancing and are asked to wear face coverings as indicated in State of Alaska Health Alert 010.

During the educational events students will have the opportunity to participate in the egg takes and learn about the salmon life cycle, egg fertilization, external anatomy, adult and juvenile salmon identification, and habitat requirements. Each school will take approximately 200 eggs back to their classrooms to observe while the eggs develop into free-swimming coho salmon fry. The incubation projects are part of the “Salmon in the Classroom” program that teaches students about salmon biology in their classrooms this school year. The coho salmon fry from these incubation projects will be released next spring back into Bear Creek or at an ADF&G permitted, landlocked stocked lake.

For additional information, please contact Soldotna Fishery Biologist Andrew Waldo at (907) 260-2919 or by email at andrew.waldo@alaska.gov.

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