Les Cheneaux Students Release Salmon at Carp River

Holding baggies of salmon fry to acclimate them to the water temperature of the Carp River are students Grace Dunn and Hylan Lysinger.

Fifth grade students in Les Cheneaux Community Schools raised salmon and released them Thursday, May 24, at the Carp River, under the direction of teacher Kathy Tassier.

The class received salmon eggs at the beginning of the school year and raised them in a climate-controlled tank into fry to be released in mid-May. This is the ninth year of the program. Of 500 eggs, 229 survived to be released.

The salmon were transported to the Carp River by Greg and Karen Wright, of Nunn's Creek Fish Hatchery, in an aerated cooler.

The salmon were dipped into plastic bags that students held in the water for five minutes to acclimate the fry to the river's water temperature before releasing them.

After all the fry had been released, Mr. Wright checked the traps at the river mouth, where he found a lamprey eel, which the students were able to look at and hold.

The students finished the day with a picnic and fishing at the Wrights' home on the Pine River.

At left: Dipping salmon into baggies are (front, from left) parent volunteer Lisa Zyble, Tessa Reppenhajen, Dylan McDonald, Eric Schebel, Jack Zyble; (second row) Nathan Smith, Caleb Schalk; (back) Maddy Klapp, Cole Diehl, Kayla Merchberger, and Hope Nightlinger.