Shad in the Classroom Helps Recover American Shad
Shad in the Classroom is a program where students and teachers are involved in the actual recovery of the American Shad. In this program, participating classrooms receive fertilized eggs and spend the week caring for their eggs until they hatch into a fry (baby fish). Danielle Pender, Shad in the Classroom specialist from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences explains that it is the students responsibility to care for their eggs during that week. They must check the water quality daily by monitoring pH and ammonia levels. Also during their care, the students are watching the eyes and backbone form and even the heart beat. At the end of their week, the students take a field trip and release each fry into the river. Students have reported how much they love the project and how they truly feel like scientists during this project.
Shad in the Classroom started in 2009 and as of last year the program has reached 186 classrooms. The purpose of this program is a conservation need to boost the number of shad population to try to reach previous levels.
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