Fleming College

Students from C.R. Gummow Public School in Cobourg lent a helping hand to the Fleming Fish Hatchery, assisting in the release of about 500 Atlantic salmon fingerlings into the Cobourg Creek at the Laurie Lawson Outdoor Education Centre on Oct. 26.

The release was part of a week-long effort by the hatchery to release approximately 26,000 of the 10-month-old fish as part of the Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon Restoration Project. A number of Fleming Fish and Wildlife students also volunteered their time to help with the release.

The students in Carly Cleverdon’s Grade 4 french immersion class, were participating in an outdoor education class with Mark Rupke, outdoor education naturalist with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

After a hike and a lesson in aquatic ecology from Mr. Rupke, the students used small nets to gently scoop the salmon out of large garbage pails and release them into the water.

Following the release, they peppered Fleming Fish Hatchery Technologist Chris Westcott with questions about the Atlantic salmon.

The hatchery releases Atlantic salmon into the Cobourg Creek three times a year – about a 100,000 fry (3-4 months old) in May, about 25,000 fingerlings in October, and then again when the fish are yearlings in April.

The salmon, which have a lifespan of about 10 years and first spawn when they are four to five years old. And while Pacific salmon die after they spawn, Atlantic salmon continue to spawn until the end of their life cycle.

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