TIC Weekly - Week 9
TIC Weekly will feature PFBC’s Trout In the Office (TIO) updates as they raise Rainbow Trout from eyed eggs to fingerlings.
Hello PA TIC participants and partners!
In this week's newsletter, Renne' Carey, of the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, and Shannon Stamm, of the Union County Conservation District, take you on a virtual field trip exploring Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS). They will explain what some of these sources are and how they effect both the aquatic life and the people that live within the watershed. They will also cover the process, implementation, assessment, and important partnerships that were involved in completing two stream improvement projects!
Observations
The TIO Trout are very active and have become aggressive feeders. We have now jumped up to the size #1 food for all of our TIO Trout. Many of the fish take advantage of feeding while the food is on the surface. Some of the fish hold in areas where they can easily locate food as it sinks and comes directly to their noses. These fish are really taking advantage of the flow that is present in our system!
The variation than can be observed in feeding behavior is very interesting to witness! It is clear to see how Trout are able to locate their food. This is advantageous when it comes to all of the different life stages of aquatic macroinvertebrates!
PFBC’s Trout In the Office Eggs arrived on September 25, 2020!
Water Quality Parameters
Temp - 55 F pH - 8.2 Ammonia - 0.25 ppm
Nitrites - 0 ppm Nitrates - 40-80 ppm DO - 10.9 ppm
The nitrate reading within our system is a little bit higher than our preferred range. I will perform another water change in efforts to bring that number down and to remove any excess material that can source ammonia.
Life Stage Facts
Our TIO Trout experienced some growth over Thanksgiving break! We can now clearly see parr marks on all of our fish. Parr marks are physical characteristics that we can use to identify juvenile salmonids! We describe parr marks as the dark colored vertical banding that you can be observed on both sides of our juvenile Rainbow Trout.
As the fish age and become adults these markings will fade. Parr marks provide an extra element to camouflage. This will help these juvenile fish avoid predation!
PFBC Resources For This Week's Theme
Videos
Nonpoint Source Pollution Virtual Field Trip Playlist
Visit PFBC's Activities and Education Portal to learn more about NPS!
Printable Publications
The following publications are PA League of Angling Youth (PLAY) newsletters pertaining to this week's theme. They include facts, activities, and more.