(Soldotna) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), Division of Sport Fish, Aquatic Education Program is kicking off the school year with its annual “Salmon in the Classroom” educational event with two days of coho salmon egg takes for elementary aged students attending schools within the Kenai Peninsula Borough. An egg take is the process of artificially spawning salmon to produce fertilized eggs. The first day of egg takes is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at Bear Creek near Seward and the second day of egg takes is scheduled for Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at the Anchor River in Anchor Point.

ADF&G staff will be conducting hourly presentations at both locations. Classes will be attending the Bear Creek presentations from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the Anchor River presentations are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Classes and/or participants are required to preregister.

During these educational events students will have the opportunity to participate in the egg takes, learn about the Pacific salmon life cycle, egg fertilization, external anatomy, adult and juvenile fish identification, habitat requirements and watersheds. Students attending the Bear Creek egg take will also have the opportunity to learn about the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association’s Bear Creek weir. Each class will take approximately 200 fertilized salmon eggs back to their classroom or school to observe while eggs develop through different life stages and into free-swimming coho salmon fry by the end of the school year. The coho salmon incubation projects are part of the “Salmon in the Classroom” program which teaches students about salmon biology in their classroom throughout the 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.

Schools or classes unable to attend this year’s events will have fertilized eggs delivered to their school. 22 schools are participating in raising salmon eggs this year. Other components of the “Salmon in the Classroom” program include salmon dissections, and elementary schools are invited to attend ice fishing trips and the ADF&G “Salmon Celebration” in the spring.

For additional information, please contact ADF&G Fishery Biologist Kayla Hansch at (907) 260-2919 or by e-mail at kayla.hansch@alaska.gov.

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