By Anthony V. Coppola, Staff Writer
PLUMSTED New Egypt High School students are helping New Jersey’s brook trout population one egg at a time.
Thanks to an initiative sponsored by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife and N.J. State Council of Trout Unlimited, more than 4,000 students statewide are being educated about the importance of conserving local cold-water resources. One of the programs, Trout in the Classroom, started in 1991 and was instrumental in getting the brook trout labeled as the state fish. Trout in the Classroom is a nationwide effort.
According to the N.J. Trout in the Classroom Web site, the brook trout New Jersey’s state fish thrives in clean, cold water, and nowhere in the country are these conditions at a higher premium than in New Jersey. The Web site warns that human encroachment has a tremendous negative impact on the species.
The faculty and students of New Egypt High School want to provide a positive spin.
Under the direction of Jaime Donahue and Gabrielle Haspel, both third-year biology teachers at the high school, more than 50 students have taken part in the upbringing of 300 brook trout eggs.
To help with the process, the Ocean County Soil Conservation District issued the high school a grant covering about $1,200 for supplies. According to Ms. Donahue, setup of the 55-gallon tanks took place in September and eggs were delivered in the middle of October. The Trout in the Classroom curriculum was originally aimed at grades 6 through 9 according to the Council of Trout Unlimited, but has successfully spread to lower and higher levels.
Now, students will journey through the life cycle of their aquatic classmates.
”So far we’ve watched the eggs hatch into their first stage,” Ms. Donahue said. “Right now they are still feeding off their yolk sacks. They are almost to the free swimming stage.”
Ms. Donahue said the students have full responsibility over the tanks and have embraced the challenge.
”The students do it all starting first thing in the morning,” Ms. Donahue said. “They monitor the tank, check pH levels and temperatures, and test for ammonia and dissolved oxygen amounts.”
Caring for the fish does come with some disappointment however.
Checking for fatalities is part of the job description, according to Ms. Donahue, who said like anything else, “it’s survival of the fittest” for the trout. When the trout reach the free-swimming stage, the students will have to alter the diet of the fish. Various insects are a popular choice at this juncture in their progression.
The project culminates with the release of fish into a safe haven. Ms. Donahue said Lakewood High School, another participant in the project, sets their trout free at the Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson. Since it is the closest option, she said, her group would most likely target that location as well. Ms. Donahue projected a late-spring release for their batch.

