Several schools in the Androscoggin River Watershed will be raising Atlantic Salmon from eggs to release into the wild.
LEWISTON, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Several classrooms in central Maine welcomed some new additions this week, hundreds of Atlantic Salmon eggs they will raise and release.
"This is a program that is a win for everybody," explained Neil Ward, program director for the Androscoggin River Alliance. "The kids get connected to their local environment, they get to learn about that local environment hands-on, and it is adding to the restoration of the salmon just by the shear numbers that are released."
Nine schools received a delivery of 200 endangered eggs each, which they will raise in tanks that are carefully temperature controlled to match the water temperature of the river they will be released in.
"These programs are really good because they provide the students with an opportunity to actually work with the salmon eggs," stated Fred Yost, a fisheries biologist at the Green Lake National Fish Hatchery in Ellsworth. "They get to learn about the biology of the salmon and what they need in the environment to survive."
The students will monitor the fish until they hatch and are ready for release in early to mid-May.
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