Gills and Guts Galore

Seventh & eighth grade students at St. John Bosco Academy recently dissected steelhead through a program promoted by the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery. The students are learning about the life cycle, ecology, and anatomy of steelhead. They also received steelhead eggs which they are raising to be released in May. The eggs have hatched and used up their yolk sac as food, so the students will begin feeding them. "The fish need side fins to be able to swim upwards" says Nathan Wassmuth, explaining why most of the fish are clustered at the bottom of their tank. A few early hatchers have started growing those fins and are able to swim to the top.