The Salmon Eggs Have Arrived

A grey, gloomy day might not be everyone’s idea of perfect conditions, but it’s the weather one hopes for when 200 salmon eggs arrive on the doorstep.  MSGH Elementary students know that salmon eggs are phototropic, making them sensitive to light, so while the mood was bright the lights were low as the eggs made their grand entrance into the classroom. 

After the eggs were introduced to the Lower El students, Upper El children took the reigns as caretakers of this year’s batch.  They arranged the rocks in the tank, recorded the temperature of the water in their log, and calibrated the water temperatures of both the tank and the cooler the eggs arrived in to avoid shocking them. Now they will wait for the tank to be the correct temperature, so the eggs can be added safely. 

The eggs arrived with a tag that noted that they were 34.725% grown. Now it is up to the Upper El students to get them to 100%, at which point they will release them into the Salmon River in Haddam.  The release date is typically in late April/early May. 

Stay tuned for ongoing coverage of this hands-on biology project!