Salmon in the Classroom
Overview description: Salmon Life Cycle: Class Studies: Students in the Experiential Science program have been raising salmon through the "Salmon In the Classroom" over a six year period. We have developed an automatic feeder to complement growth rate vs feed studies we have conducted. A change in the feed we had been giving to the salmon has meant that we need to re-engineer the feeder we have developed. Study of the salmon life cycle has enhanced our studies in other areas.
Duration of study and numbers involved These studies began in 1996 and ran up to 2004.
Protocols followed and resources. The automatic feeder we developed is simple and effective. It allows flexibility in feeding frequency and amount. We take a simple electric large face clock ( on sale for $5.00). Take the plastic face off. Drill a 3/8 hole in the plastic face. Align the hole so that it does not interfere with the clock mechanism. Then drill a larger hole ¾ inch in the clear plastic face cover. Remove the second and minute hand and turn the hour hand so that it is perpendicular. Make a cone of clear plastic ( (overhead sheets) that tapers about 30 degrees. Insert the cone into the hole of the plastic face. The cone end should end about 1 cm above the clock face. The hole in the clock face should be 2 to 3 cm from the cone in the clock face. It should be located so the hour hand passing through the feed that piles up below the cone will drop the feed through the clock face hole. The distance from the clock surface and size of the cone hole will determine the amount of food that drops through the hole. This will feed twice a day. Run the feeder for a few days, weigh the food that drops through the clock and that will give you the average feed mass per day. This allows you to weigh the fish and determine the food to bio mass conversion. The automatic feeders allowed for raising salmon from egg to fry observing weight gain vs food input vs temperature.
Contact person and more detailed information Bob Sharp has been makings these feeders since 1995., ES 11 students have made them and sold them to teachers. Alain Dalaire and Kevin O’Connor also operate the program.
Overview description: Salmon Life Cycle: Class Studies: Students in the Experiential Science program have been raising salmon through the "Salmon In the Classroom" over a six year period. We have developed an automatic feeder to complement growth rate vs feed studies we have conducted. A change in the feed we had been giving to the salmon has meant that we need to re-engineer the feeder we have developed. Study of the salmon life cycle has enhanced our studies in other areas.
Duration of study and numbers involved These studies began in 1996 and ran up to 2004.
Protocols followed and resources. The automatic feeder we developed is simple and effective. It allows flexibility in feeding frequency and amount. We take a simple electric large face clock ( on sale for $5.00). Take the plastic face off. Drill a 3/8 hole in the plastic face. Align the hole so that it does not interfere with the clock mechanism. Then drill a larger hole ¾ inch in the clear plastic face cover. Remove the second and minute hand and turn the hour hand so that it is perpendicular. Make a cone of clear plastic ( (overhead sheets) that tapers about 30 degrees. Insert the cone into the hole of the plastic face. The cone end should end about 1 cm above the clock face. The hole in the clock face should be 2 to 3 cm from the cone in the clock face. It should be located so the hour hand passing through the feed that piles up below the cone will drop the feed through the clock face hole. The distance from the clock surface and size of the cone hole will determine the amount of food that drops through the hole. This will feed twice a day. Run the feeder for a few days, weigh the food that drops through the clock and that will give you the average feed mass per day. This allows you to weigh the fish and determine the food to bio mass conversion. The automatic feeders allowed for raising salmon from egg to fry observing weight gain vs food input vs temperature.
Contact person and more detailed information Bob Sharp has been makings these feeders since 1995., ES 11 students have made them and sold them to teachers. Alain Dalaire and Kevin O’Connor also operate the program.