If the islands were bathed in warm sunshine last Wednesday, the weather certainly took a turn for the worse over the week-end and this morning, the prospects of decent weather for release day were unlikely…

However, after dinner, it was mild and the winds were light, and if it hadn’t been for the persistent rain, paddling in the loch, releasing trout would have almost been enjoyable!

Still, it was a relief to see our healthy fry swim away and disappear into the cover of the margins.

A few scoops with a fine mesh net revealed a lot of freshwater shrimps (gammarus) which probably constitute the staple diet of the Bea Loch’s trout population.

In spite of the rather dull weather, it was good to see that it wasn’t just the children who were interested in the peedie troot, but a number of adults also showed interest and joined the group by the banks of the loch: Councillor Clakson, Mr and Mrs Allan and Mr Thorne, the Sanday Ranger, who gave us a little presentation about the species of birds which can be found on or near the loch. He explained to a captive audience that we could,  not only see mute swans but also Whooper swans which would soon start their migration to Iceland. Mr Thorne also spoke about the two main species of ducks present on the loch: tufted ducks and widgeon.

Back to the school, the shed was tidied up, the tank and gravel rinsed, all to be ready for the 2015 edition of Troot in the Shed…

Thank you to Mrs. Lennon and Mrs Muir who accompanied the pupils to the loch but also to Irene who checked the tank daily with the pupils and kept a watchful eye on the development of our fry.

Mr P.

As we read in one of the comments by Mrs Muir on “New batch of trout eggs for the Sanday school”, the Sanday ova started hatching last Wednesday (12/02). Today, all the eggs, bar 2, had hatched and some very healthy alevins were hiding amongst the gravel. It’s interesting to go back in time in the blog and notice that in 2012, the last ova hatched around 27/02. The tank water was at 4⁰C this morning and if the weather could stay a bit chilly for the next couple of weeks, it would make the alevins’ yolk sacs last longer and we could delay the release, giving them a better chance of survival once in the wild.

Congratulations to the Sanday pupils and staff who have been monitoring the project and kept in touch. 😉

Mr P.

This year, the Sanday ova took a lot longer to hatch because of a slightly delayed transfer from the Kirbister hatchery to the school and due to the very cold spell of weather in February/March. In fact, it wasn’t before March 7^th (more than 2 weeks later than last year) that the alevins started hatching. The advantage of hatching ova in very cold water (an average of 4.6°C on Sanday this year) is that the mortality stays very low (4 casualties for over 150 ova)  but the downside is that the alevins haven’t quite reabsorbed their yolk sacs by the time we need to release them, before the Easter holidays.

This year, the most noticeable improvement on release day was undeniably the weather! While in March 2012, we had been battling against a westerly gale and released the alevins facing a mini-tsunami, this time, the Bea Loch was bathed in bright sunshine with a distinctive taste of spring and a gentle breeze from the east.

While Mr. Thorne, the Sanday ranger and Mr. Pietri headed for the loch with the alevins and transferred them in small bags for the pupils to release, the Primaries from Room2  and the secondary 1s, accompanied by Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Cawthorne, Mrs. Muir and Mrs. Thomson walked from the school to the loch.

As the last arrangements were made to release the fry, Mr. Thorne gave a little introduction regarding the loch environment and the challenges our fry would possibly meet in the future: mergansers, herons, cormorants, otters, eels without forgetting the bigger trout lurking in the depths…

Then, it was time to part with our alevins,  let them disappear amongst the weeds in the shallows and wish them good luck!

A big thank you to all the staff from the school who helped with the project, to the Sanday ranger Mr. Thorne  and to the Orkney Trout Fishing Association for providing the ova.

Mr.P

It was a rather breezy day, this 20th March, when it was decided that the time had come to part company with the small fish we had been watching grow in the school since January.  The alevins’ yolk sacs (their own food supply) were shrinking day by day and it was time for them to start life as  “real” trout and fend for themselves in the loch.

Thirty pupils from Primary 4 to Secondary 2 and seven members of staff and parents gathered on the shore of Bea Loch and let slip the 250 miniature troot, measuring 20mm, amongst the waves.

Needless to say that the next few years will be very tough for the little fish which will be facing a lot of dangers, from birds and otters but also from their older counterparts which, as some may know, can reach over 10 lbs in this loch!

The visit to the loch was not just about fish as Mr. Thorne, the Sanday ranger, joined us and explained why the loch was such a special environment for a wide range of wildlife, like swans, many different species of ducks and otters.

Well done to all pupils and staff involved for making the project such a success!

Mr. P