“Troot in the Shed” Project

 

On Kirbister Loch with the pupils and Orkney Trout Fishing Association volunteers (June 2010)

“Troot in the Shed” aims at making pupils aware of the Brown Trout and Sea-Trout life cycles through presentations and hands-on activities – the highlight of the initiative being hatching trout ova (provided by the local fishing association) on the school ground and monitoring the experiment on a daily basis to record the various stages from egg to alevin and fingerling. The two projects are currently run in the two Orkney schools of Stronsay and North Walls on Hoy.

14 thoughts on ““Troot in the Shed” Project”

  1. Hello All

    It’s great to see this blog up and running. Well done Mr Pietri for getting it on the go. It seems not that long ago the first “Troot in the shed” event happened in Stronsay around 9/10 years ago.
    This is bringing back great memories. Good luck to all taking part and the fish! Hope a lot survive.
    All the best, look forward to keeping up to date with the events as it happens.
    Mr McIntosh (Now St Andrews School although ex Stronsay Teacher)

  2. Good to see you back on this blog after a quick visit Mr. McIntosh… I have to confess to other users that I deleted your post by mistake a couple of weeks ago!
    It was very nearly 9 years ago right enough. Have a look at the picture below (the bigger ones have left school and the peedier ones will be sitting their Standard Grades in June…)
    https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/or/TrootintheShed/files/2011/01/DSCN1826b.jpg
    Last update regarding the eggs: about 180 at North Walls and 120 on Stronsay. They’re all very healthy and showing encouraging signs of development. The pupils are doing a fantastic job at checking water temperature, removing dead eggs, etc…
    If your pupils at St. Andrews want to see what the eggs are doing, they’re welcome to join the blog and ask questions. We’d like to hear from them!
    Mr. P

  3. Good to see things are going well Mr Pietri and great link from OTFA. Just a pity we will end up catching them in the end no doubt!!

  4. Hi Neil & Jim!
    Thanks for paying us a visit on our blog! I know, it’s a shame we’re going catch them all, but I’ll wait till they’re 5 or 6lbs to hook them…
    Come back and visit our blog as the Hoy ova have yet to hatch and it should be imminent! Check for a new post about the Hoy alevins!

  5. Well done Antoine – this is an excellent project – do you take it further? for example fishing & how to prepare the fish for eating………..

  6. Hi Antoine

    Excellent project! Well done. Pupils are constantly talking about the state of things here. Do they learn to catch & eat as well?

  7. Hi Folks,
    Well done Mr Pietri for getting this website up and for getting the project going again, brilliant. Good luck to all you kids looking after the eggs and have fun. You will have to persuade Mr Pietri to put all these sea trout back that he catches! Look forward to arranging some electrofishing trips later on this year when it’s a bit warmer!

  8. Hi Malcolm!
    Thanks for paying us a visit on our blog. An electrofishing trip would be brilliant as we would be able to see the next stages of the trout development and have a close look at their natural habitat.
    Sorry, need to go now, trout fillets for tea! 😉

  9. Hi George! Thanks for showing interest in our blog! I’m really glad our pupils have readily taken ownership of the project. As far as teaching them to fish, it is part of the AFYD 2 year course (Angling For Youth Development) which I run at the Stronsay School. The Game Angling course deals extensively with fly-fishing, from literature to the various species of salmonids, fly-tying, casting, environment awareness, health and safety, etc… Cooking isn’t part of the course as such but the pupils were keen to include a bit of “fish tasting” to a fishing trip we’re planning in June. So there might well be trout on the menu! Hope to hear from you again.

  10. Having just found the link from the OTFA website I’d like to say to all concerned especially the students, well done, what a fantastic project that you’ve got involved with. Every success and tight lines!

  11. Hello Mike!
    Thanks for leaving a wee message! The pupils have done a brilliant job at making sure the ova were given all the care they deserved! We just need to keep an eye on them until the alevins yolk sacs disappear before we release them.
    Please come back and visit our blog for the lastest news on “Troot in the Shed”!

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