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Sisters, Oregon
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The contents of the on-line edition of The Nugget represent a selection among the stories that appear in the weekly print edition.

Fish raising project a success
By Rongi Yost

Julie Kemper's fifth grade class watched their fish-raising project come to a successful conclusion when they released 155 "buttoned-up" fry at Fireman's Pond in Redmond on Monday, November 25.

Kemper and her 25 students braved the brisk, 8-degree morning.

"It was so cold I had to crack the ice around the edge of the pond before we could let the fish go," Kemper said.

The students dumped buckets filled with fish into the pond and watched them swim away.

"While we had the fish in the classroom we really had to keep an eye on their belly seams," said Kemper.

"The belly contains the yolk sac which provides nourishment for the fish. Once the belly seams close to one millimeter or less, the yolk sacs have been absorbed and we know the fish are ready to survive on their own. The fish are then officially 'buttoned-up fry.'"

Fifty of the original fish the students received from the Department of Fish and Wildlife for their project died. About 10 to 12 had deformities, such as spinal curves, very short bodies or deformed heads.

Kemper said, "It's a natural occurrence to have deformities in a wild population as well. This was a good, but sad lesson for the kids to learn."

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