STEM
Salmonids in the Classroom
A Partnership Between TCSOS and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife
The Salmonids in the Classroom (SIC) teacher workshops give teachers the tools they need to hatch salmon or trout in their classrooms and then release the fish into the wild. The goal of this program is for the students to learn to be stewards of the watersheds in which they live.
This year, we will be offering the required teacher workshops virtually through Zoom. New teachers to the program must register for one of Session #1 and one of Session #2. Pick the dates that work best for you. Asynchronous assignments must be completed during the time between the sessions.
Teachers who have already attended training in the past and want to raise salmon or trout in their classroom this year can download a 772 form here.
Questions: Contact Gail Davis, SIC Program Coordinator, Gail.Davis@wildlife.ca.gov
Teacher Workshops
Two Free Workshops To Enhance Your Teaching Experience Hatching Trout!
Salmonids in the Classroom Teacher Workshops
Register by September 10, 2021
Session #1
Thursday, September 23, 3:30pm-5:00pm OR
Thursday, September 30, 3:30pm-5:00pm
Session #2
Wednesday, October 6, 3:30pm-5:00pm OR
Wednesday, October 13, 3:30pm-5:00pm
That’s a lot of eggs!
Salmon Eggs By the Numbers
Chinook Salmon lay an average of 5,400 eggs. Coming in a close second are steelhead with 4,900 eggs, and the other species ranging from 1,000+ to 3,000+ eggs.
Average Eggs Laid Per Spawning Fish
%
Average Survival Rate
Photo & Video Resources
Featured Article
The Central Valley Salmonid Story: Six Million Years in the Making
Featured Video
California’s Central Valley Chinook Salmon
Featured Video
Salmon Life Cycle Song
“I Will Survive”
Amazing Life
The Lifecycle of a Salmon
Eggs
The cycle begins in freshwater, when a redd, or a female’s nest of eggs, is fertilized. These eggs remain in the gravel throughout the winter, and the embryos develop.
Alevin
In the spring, the eggs hatch, and alevins emerge. These are tiny fish with the yolk sac of the egg attached to their bellies. Alevins stay close to the redd for a few months.
Fry
Fry swim to the surface of the water, fill up their swim bladders with oxygen, and begin to feed. Chinook fry usually spend less than 5 months in freshwater
Smolt
Eventually, environmental cues cause fry to begin their migration downstream towards the oceans. At this time, smolting begins, and scales grow as they turn a silvery color.
Adult Salmon
While some salmon remain in coastal water, others migrate northward to feedings grounds. Chinook salmon may spend up to eight years in the ocean.
Spawning Salmon
Upon reaching natal streams, females build nests, or redds. These little depressions in the gravel are made by the female by turning on her side and using her tail to dislodge stones or pebbles. Males fight with other males for spawning rights with a female. The dominant male will court the female and upon spawning, they release eggs and milt simultaneously. The eggs will settle into the gravel, and the female will cover the eggs with loose gravel and move upstream in order to prepare another redd. Eventually, both the males and females die, supplying the river habitat with nutrients and the seeds of the next generation that will someday return to continue the cycle.
Learn More
The Salmonids in the Virtual Classroom and the Classroom Aquarium Education Program are just a few of the educational outreach programs provided by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Information, curriculum, and forms
California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts
California’s Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs) highlight the deep relationship between humans and the natural world.
Next Generation Science Standards
Improving Science Education Through Three-Dimensional Learning
Tricia Dunlap
TCSOS STEM Coordinator
Gail Davis
Salmonids in the Classroom Program Coordinator