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Trout-In-The-Classroom Program

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The Tri-Valley Fly Fishers' "Trout-In-The-Classroom" (TIC) program was established to make it possible for the students (the future citizens of our communities) to experience a portion of the life cycle of our fish, and to learn to appreciate and respect their survival requirements. It is anticipated that this appreciation will grow and develop into a sense of stewardship for those fisheries.

Coho fry in classroom aquarium

This program involves a joint effort between the members of the Tri-Valley Fly Fishers and interested teachers (and school officials) within our local public school systems. The students are involved in classroom activities associated with the hatching of salmon or steelhead trout type fish in a cold-water aquarium, monitoring their development to the "fry" stage of their lifecycle, and releasing them back to the river/stream etc. that their parent fish had migrated to spawn.

Class releasing fry.

The TIC program is proving to be very popular with the teachers and students. The kids enthusiastically participate in the classroom activities associated with the program, and develop a strong bond with the young fish, which is very evident when they release them back to the river. They learn that the fish need good clean water, a natural food source and quality habitat to survive.

The program has grown over the last few years. We started with two refrigerated aquarium set-ups in two different classrooms at one school, and have expanded so that we currently have a total of 14 cold-water aquariums in 14 different classrooms at seven schools. The classes include Elementary through Middle School and are located in Pleasanton, Livermore and Brentwood. We are currently planning to expand the program by adding several more classrooms.