Fillmore Fish Hatchery (Bob Fiero)

Fillmore Fish Hatchery

Author(s): Bob Fiero

Field Trip - Teacher's Guide

SED 695B

Address:P.O. Box 666Fillmore, CA 93016

Directions:

On the South side of Highway 126, about 1 mile east of Fillmore in Ventura County.

Coordinates:

N 34° 23.589 W 118° 53.118

11S E 326691 N 3807360

Standards:

Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.

The anatomy and physiology of plants and animals illustrate the complementary nature of structure and function. As a basis for understanding this concept hierarchy of organization of organs and organisms.

Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. As a basis for understanding this concept of genetic variation and environmental changes leads to changing adaptations through generations.

Description of Field Trip:

Fillmore Fish hatchery as a facility of California Fish and Game Department is situated just a quarter mile east of the town of Fillmore on the south side of highway 126 (Ventura Highway). They accept visitors from 7 am to 3 pm weekdays. They recommend that Tuesdays when they load the fish into trucks for distribution as an especially interesting event to witness. Feeding is all day everyday and of course you can buy your own fish feed to do it yourself which spectacular as the swarms of fish go into a competitive frenzy free-for-all for your tidbits.

Though one could focus on just fish and wildlife conservation and natural history information of the trout you could also have students study the technology that supports it such as the pumps and filters or disucss the carbon footprint of transporting them with trucks and producing and transporting feed for them. When it comes to the natural world everything is connected and thus all the science are too.

Study Guide:

Please see attachment(s) for document links at the bottom of site.

Questions:

As you enter the fish hatchery facility describe how the fish are kept?

Why is there a need for the whole area to be enclosed with netting and fencing?

What you say is the density of the fish in the long pondsper square foot?

Why is necessary to keep fresh clean water moving over the fish?

Does it seem the fish have any trouble with current of water the flows down the ponds?

In what stage of development are the fish when they begin their stay at the hatchery?

In what stage of development, or how old are they, when they are loaded in trucks for delivery?

Ask also where the fish will be released and how many at any one location and does it vary from location to location? You may need to check the websites linked to on this wiki site to find the information.

Using the websites linked from the wiki site briefly describe the “California’s Wild Trout Program.”

Using the websites linked from the wiki site define/describe what species are listed as part of the California Heritage Trout and are they ever raised in the fish hatchery?

Why is it necessary to have fish hatcheries and policies of managing their populations in the wild?

About Fillmore Fish Hatchery:(see the study guide document as well)

They do not have much a website for this faiclity but the fish and Wildlife Department has many well connected and professional sites--see list of links at the bottom fo the page. The word document I composed was from transcribing the information from their kiosk board. at the site.

Temperature and Flow Criteria for planting Catchable Trout

Why is the water kept constant at a rather cool 59 degrees Fahrenheit?

Catchable trout shall not be stocked in streams when water temperatures reach 75°F and it appears that such temperatures will continue to occur regularly, or when stream flows drop below 10 cfs. The exception is that suitable streams with flows between 2 and 10 cfs may be planted if water temperatures do not exceed 70°F and other conditions are satisfactory. Stocking shall be discontinued if conditions are unsuitable because of shallow water, lack of pools, growth of algae, poor water quality, or other reasons

Catchable trout shall not be stocked in lakes or reservoirs after surface water temperatures reach 78°F and it appears that such temperatures will continue to occur regularly, nor after a trout die-off is attributed in whole or in part to an oxygen deficiency. Stocking shall be discontinued if algae blooms, aquatic weed growth, high turbidity, high alkalinity, or other conditions render the lake unsuitable for catchable trout or for fishing.

Catchable trout shall not be stocked in lakes or reservoirs until water temperatures reach 42°F or higher most afternoons, or in streams until water temperatures reach 45°F or higher most afternoons. Catchable trout stocking may be suspended in reservoirs during periods of spill in order to avoid losses of planted fish to downstream areas where the trout may not be readily available to anglers.

Catchable Trout Planting

Schedule for Region 5 - South Coast

All plants are subject to change depending on road, water and weather conditions. If conditions permit, the listed lakes, reservoirs and ponds, will be restocked with catchable-size fish from Department of Fish and Game hatcheries.

More specific dates are not given so that fishing activity will not be focused right after the time of the plant. Occasionally, operational problems may cause alteration of the schedule.

This page reflects the latest available information. Additionally, the Scheduled Fish Stocking phone number for the South Coast Region is (562) 594-7268.

DFG Fish Stocking (Planting) for 11/24/2008 through 1/1/2010