The Science of Trout
PENN TOWNSHIP — Two men waded through Thorn Creek with baskets of rainbow trout Wednesday afternoon. One of them, a teacher, called it his prep work for an upcoming class.
He wasn't lying. Dave Andrews, a science teacher at Butler Intermediate High School, and Roger Davis released about 200 trout into the creek. Thirty of the fish wore numbered clips on their cheeks.
In May, Andrews' fishery science class will return to the waters with electroshock equipment. They'll temporarily stun the fish, note how far they've traveled from their launching point and then leave them be.
This creek has long been a work-in-progress for both Andrews' students and the Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance, of which Andrews is president and Davis is a volunteer member.
“We've done all this work,” Andrews said. “We're here today to find out if it's actually working.”
Davis said he's been helping stock Thorn Creek with trout since he was 12.
Most of the stocking occurs in the spring, he said, but this round is a scientific experiment.
“Hopefully anybody that fishes through here sees the tag and releases the fish,” Davis said.
The two men distributed the trout through about three-quarters-of-a-mile of the creek. They stopped at various structures built by classes and volunteer groups. Andrews aims to test whether the fish actually like and are using those bits of fish habitat.
Improvements at the creek aren't only aimed at aiding the fish. One waterfall built from logs diverted the stream away from a nearby access road. A couple weeks ago, students planted trees to hold soil and support the local ecology.
The fish, after all, can sometimes be the easy part.“You give them cover and oxygen and fish will find a way to live,” Andrews said.This round of stocking used fish between 12 and 15 inches long. These were raised and delivered by Laurel Hill Trout Farm in Somerset County, though Andrews' class does raise its own trout as well as catfish.About 100 students cycle through the fishery science class each year. Right now, 23 students are enrolled. Both seventh and eighth graders are in the class.When the fish are counted and the data is collected, both the watershed alliance and the classrooms will use it to understand how the creek's habitat is managing. It'll also guide future projects.“This,” Andrews said, looking up from his basket of trout, “is how we'll plan for the future.”
