Fourth-graders at Pierce Elementary School in Bennington raised brook trout in their classroom this year and then released them into the Contoocook River over the past couple weeks.

The Bennington Conservation Commission helped monitor the trout and took a trip into the classroom last month to take measurements of the water tank where the trout were growing and then walked down to the Contoocook River to take measurements there. 

“Rivers are very sensitive ecosystems,” said Zach Allen, a member of the Conservation Commission, speaking to Val Germain’s fourth-grade class at the end of March. He explained that it’s important to preserve the natural resources and spaces we have because “it’s really hard to get back what we’ve lost.”

Allen and the students used a pH meter and a water temperature probe to take and record measurements of the tank and river.

“What happens if the pH is different in the river than in the tank?” Germain asked the class.

Allen explained that for the fish to survive after being released into the river, the river needs to be close enough in pH and temperature to the tank for the fish to be able to adapt to their new environment. 

The class released the fish over the first two weeks of April after they tested ammonia levels in the tank. Germain said the fish were released in a shallow area of the river in the Bruce Edes Forest. 

“The students enjoyed watching them acclimate to their new environment and wishing them luck in the big wide world,” she said.

According to the New Hampshire Fish and Game website, fish species like brook trout and salmon are unable to live in sustained temperatures above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. With water temperatures rising due to climate change, the species may have to move to cooler water or will be replaced by species that can survive in warmer environments. 

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