LITTLE CURRENT—A sea of excited faces gathered around Rolly Frappier of Microhatcheries Inc. and the large white cooler he had just brought into their classroom at Little Current Public School. The students had been waiting for this day ever since the mysterious water-filled tank appeared at the back of their classroom, its water bubbling through a series of white pvc pipes leading to and from a humming box.
Mr. Frappier pulled a clear plastic tube from the cooler and held it up so the students could see the thousands of small orange round balls gently swirling around within the confines of its walls.
The conservationist asked if anyone knew what the small orange balls were. The answers came fast and furious. “Eggs!” “But what kind of eggs?” “Fish.” Mr. Frappier laughed patiently and asked what kind of fish eggs they were. “Salmon!” “No.” “Walleye!” “No, those are all good guesses, but these are brook trout eggs,” explained Mr. Frappier.
As Mr. Frappier took the children (and teachers) through the operation and setup of the micro-hatchery the rapt attention and infectious enthusiasm displayed touched on the fundamental strengths of the program when it comes to teaching children. “The students don’t just learn about conservation and raising fish in a microhatchery,” noted Mr. Frappier, pointing out that the math, observation and recording efforts involved touch on a myriad of learning skills. “In fact, the science part is probably the most important aspect of the program, that and the ownership,” he said.
In fact, because the micro-hatchery is actually the students,’ they quickly become more engaged in the project. That they are stewarding and responsible for literally thousands of lives represented in the tiny wriggling fry that emerge from the eggs adds an entirely different dimension.
“There are so many aspects to this,” said Mr. Frappier, who added that the micro-hatcheries are installed in 25 schools stretching from Pic River to Cochrane, Manitoulin and beyond. “In M’Chigeeng they are using them for not just science, but culture and language as well.”
“To see all these community partners coming together to help our students see the exciting world of nature is wonderful,” said Manitoulin Rainbow District School Board Trustee Margaret Stringer as she watched the students gather excitedly around the micro-hatchery and Mr. Frappier.
Those partners gathered at the loading of the micro-hatchery included the Little Current Fish and Game Club, the Little Current Lions, TDCanada as well as Microhatcheries Inc. and Mr. Frappier.
Once the eggs have hatched into fingerlings, they will be transplanted into Island waters to grow and enhance the Manitoulin fishery.
