The Onalaska School District aquaculture program released 600 trout in Carlisle Lake on Friday morning.
The release coincides with the Saturday start of the statewide trout fishing derby.
According to Kevin Hoffman, the aquaculture teacher at Onalaska, each trout weighs an average of 7 pounds and has about 3 pounds of meat. Hoffman told The Chronicle when considering the number of trout released on Friday, the aquaculture program released the equivalent of about $23,000 worth of store-bought fish meat into the lake.
The trout released Friday are from the group of about 35,000 trout that was released along with 100,000 salmon during the program’s regular fish release last year. However, the 600 trout were kept for another year so they could grow larger and be placed in the lake for fishing, rather than released into Gheer Creek.
The 600 trout were kept in three tanks, each holding 200 of the fish. To get the trout to the river, students got into the fish tanks and used nets to catch fish. Students then carried the fish in the nets to another secure tank on a large truck which was then driven to Carlisle Lake while students followed behind in a van. Once at the lake, the truck was backed into a shallow area of the water where the tank was opened and the fish were dumped into the lake.
Because of the large number of trout that need to be released, the truck and students made multiple trips from the aquaculture building at Onalaska High School to the lake, where they were joined by members of the public in watching the hundreds of trout they raised released into their temporary home. Several of the students expressed their excitement for the event, with some saying the trout release was their favorite part of their time in the aquaculture program so far.
Ayden Haag, a 16-year-old sophomore at Onalaska High School, has been in the aquaculture program since the beginning of the year. Haag told The Chronicle he learned about cleaning tanks and feeding fish while in the aquaculture program. He added the most exciting part of being in the program has been “going out and actually dealing with the fish, doing things like this.”
“It does make me feel rewarded,” Haag said.
Luke Barrick, a 15-year-old freshman, said the trout release has been the most exciting part of being in the aquaculture class. Barrick also mentioned the program can help provide students with job opportunities.
“It can get you a job down the road,” Barrick said.
“Oh, for sure,” Haag added.
Carlos Morales, a 15-year-old sophomore, said the aquaculture program has taught him about the importance of fish health. Morales learned how much fish need to be fed and how to take care of bacteria and other issues to make sure the fish don’t get sick.
According to Hoffman, the trout could potentially live on their own in Carlisle Lake for two to three years, though they are not intended to live there for such a length of time. Hoffman said the lake is called a “put-and-take” fishery by the state because the fish are put in the lake and are intended to live there for only a short time. Hoffman added the trout are only in the lake for a brief time, as members of the public fish for them, though he has seen people catching the trout as late in the year as July.
Hoffman said the students in the aquaculture program have been responsible for raising the fish, which they appear to have done successfully.
“The fish are really high quality,” Hoffman said. “If you catch them, please eat them.”
