Third Grade Salmon Project Begins 20th Year
"Students Gather Eggs at the Weir"

Our class went on a field trip to the weir. We saw salmon hearts and eggs. We also saw King Salmon. It was cool. I liked the smell of the salmon. We put the salmon eggs in the take in our classroom. ~Landen

One rainy wet cold day on October 8th, 2013 we went to Manistee River Weir. We touched the heart. They cut open the salmon and got the eggs out. They climbed up the fish ladder. It stank really bad. We brought eggs back to school and poured them into the tank. ~Sawyer

On a rainy cold morning we went to the Manistee River Weir. At the weir we first got to look at the salmon before the DNR officer came to talk to us. Salmon can lay up to 200 eggs. When we got in the building we got to touch the heart. After we got to touch the heart we got to kiss the fish. I kissed it. After that we got on the bus and went back to the school. When we got in the classroom we all had cold lunch so we at in our room. Once we were done eating we put the eggs in the tank.  After that we always check on the eggs. I think it will be fun to grow salmon.  ~Arlee

Yesterday my class and I went to the Manistee River Weir. I was sort of gross in my opinion. I saw some people cutting the salmon open to check for disease. They looked at the liver and the fish's kidneys. Some of us when the female or male were cut open touched the heart of both the male and female.  What was not gross was when the air thing was pushing out the eggs. Some of our classmates kissed the fish. I don't know if the fish was alive or dead. I can't wait to see how many salmon we get to raise thanks to the Manistee River Weir.  ~Madison

We left school at about 8:15 to go to Manistee River Weir. Air pushes eggs out of the fish. They cut open salmon and check for diseases. They knocked out the fish so they can get the eggs from the fish. We liked seeing the fish and the eggs. When we got back to school we put the eggs in the class tank.  ~Adam

Manistee River Weir was really fun.  I got to hold the heart of a salmon. It was really fun because I got to hold the eggs. I liked it because they cut open the salmon.  It was really fun because they knocked the fish out.  I learned about the males. They have a hooked mouth and the female does not.  Mrs. Catanese poured about 200 eggs in the tank. I hope we have all 200 hatch.  ~Allyson

Our Class went to Manistee River Weir and it was fun there. Then we went to see the salmon in the river.  We saw how they got the eggs. Mrs. Catanese got to bring the eggs to our class. Now you know about the field trip.  ~Dafne

We watched them cut open the salmon. We watched them take out the heart. It was still pumping. It was weird. We also saw air pushing out eggs. It was cool. The male salmon had hooked mouths. We put some eggs in the tank at school. I think I'll love taking care of the salmon. ~Emily D.

When my class got to Manistee River Weir my friends and I looked at the fish. Then a guide asked a few questions and showed us the life cycle of a salmon. Then my group got to see them cut open the salmon and check body parts. Next we got to see them use an air machine to push salmon eggs. Then we walked on a trail. Next we went to school and dumped the eggs in the tank.  ~Mary

My class went to the Manistee River Weir on Monday, October 7th. My class left at 8:15 am. First my class saw the fish swim. Then we saw the people that worked there cut the fish open and get the eggs out. Then we all went on a long walk. We saw a bunch of dead fish. Then Mrs. Catanese got a bucket of eggs. Next my class went back to the classroom.  We all gathered around a fish tank and Mrs. Catanese dumped the bucket of eggs in the fish tank.  ~Cheryl

My class and I went to the Manistee River Weir.  When we went to see the fish in the river. We got to see the people cut the fish open .We saw the inside of the fish. We held the eggs. The class put the eggs in the tank. Then we got the dead eggs out. ~Trinity

October 7, 2013 we went to the Manistee River Weir. I got to touch a salmon's heart. The guy cut open a salmon. We got on the bus and left. When we got back to school we played on the playground. Later we put the fish eggs in the fish tank. ~No Name

My favorite thing was when we touched their hearts.  I was not the only one who touched the hearts.  The hearts were very bloody.  They cut open the salmon. We saw the liver tan the blood. We went on a hike while waiting for the eggs to get ready to take back to class. ~Dante

Yesterday we went to the weir.  I liked the fish ladder. I also liked when we got the see them cut open the fish. I got to see them use an air pump to get the eggs. We got to see lots of cool stuff. We got to keep some eggs. When we got back to school we put the eggs in the tank. Today we removed the white eggs. I wonder how many eggs we will have in the end. ~Jazlyn

I liked when air pushed the eggs out. I got to kiss the fish. I like to see them cut open salmon too. I liked the heart and I touched it too. I liked watching the fish go up the fish ladder. When we got back the fish eggs went in the tank. ~Carly

On our field trip we got to see the inside of salmon. I saw the fish ladder. In the recovery tank the invasive species got flushed out!  I think I am going to enjoy having fish in the class. ~Elisha

I don't like fish. It was too smelly. I liked the river.  ~Emily S.

Yesterday my class and I went to the weir and we saw all kinds of fish. We even saw dead fish and I even saw fish swimming up the fish ladder. ~Jhon

Yesterday my class and I went to the Manistee River Weir. they put air in the fish to get the eggs out. I touched the heart. It was still beating. Then when we got back to the classroom we put the eggs in the tank. ~Kennedy

On a chilly, rainy, October day I saw something scary - a zombie fish!  It didn't have any scales. The salmon tried to jump over the fence but the zombie fish were white and grey.  It was cool when they cut the salmon open. And at the end we went for a walk in the woods while the workers got our eggs ready. ~Grace

Yesterday at the weir, I got to have an egg. Then we got to touch a heart and a fish. Then we got to see an eagles next. We also got to see the fish in the river. We saw a lot of dead fish in the river. Then we got the eggs and when we got back we put the eggs in the fish tank. The trip was fun. ~Ryan

 

My class and I went to a weir in Manistee. We got to hold the eggs. It was cool because they were scushy. I got to hold a heart. It was cool. I got to kiss a fish. It was slimy. We watched Mrs. Catanese pour the eggs in the tank. there were about 200 eggs in the tank. ~Laketon

Salmon Project Timeline
(listed in reverse chronological order)

Salmon in the Classroom is an established and comprehensive program developed by the Michigan DNR that teaches students about the state's freshwater resources through interactive, hands-on learning. This instrumental learning experience allows students the opportunity to raise, care for, and maintain salmon in their classroom from Fall until Spring. The program culminates at the end of the school year with the release of the young fish into a local watershed that feeds one of the Great Lakes.

Onekama's Salmon Project began in 1994, with then teacher Kevin Hughes, and has continued for every year since that time.
Mrs. Catanese's Homepage for Fall 2013  /  Onekama Elementary index for 2013

www.onekama.k12.mi.us