Steelhead will test the waters

Steelhead will test the waters -A half century after the dams, a reintroduction comes to fruition
By Kate Ramsayer / The Bulletin
Published: April 14. 2007 5:00AM PST

The pioneers now lie in trays in a hatchery north of Maupin, little more than a big eye and a yolk. But in a few weeks, once these summer steelhead eggs have hatched into tiny fry and used up the energy from the yolk, they'll be trucked to Whychus Creek downstream of Sisters and released. As they settle into the slow-moving side channels and backwaters of the creek, they will be the first steelhead to swim above Lake Billy Chinook since the Pelton Round Butte dam complex was constructed about half a century ago.

And they'll be the first test of whether more than a decade of planning by numerous agencies will enable ocean-going fish to migrate from and return to the Upper Deschutes Basin.

"We're certainly really, really excited about the reintroduction on all fronts," said Steven Marx, interim Deschutes District watershed manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"The big thing is it's been 50 years since waters upstream from Pelton Dam have seen summer steelhead."




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Comment: this an interesting article, well worth reading in its entirety.
Carl

Trout in the classroom

2 the Outdoors: Trout in the classroom -WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. - Recently, a special delivery was made to Banks Elementary School in Washington County. Leroy Schultz paid a visit to the school to deliver a 28-gallon aquarium.

Schultz is part of a volunteer army that delivers this unique equipment that enables youngsters to learn about their environment.

The large tank will soon be a new home for 600 trout eggs in a second-grade classroom at the school.

The fish eggs are donated to the "Trout in the Classroom" program by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The eggs come from the Roaring River Hatchery in Linn County.

The hatchery produces 70 percent of Oregon's rainbow trout. Huge female trout are live-spawned and their surplus eggs are donated to the Northwest Steelheaders for the classroom program.

In addition to the donations of tanks, which are worth $1,000 each, volunteers from the Steelheaders gather in February to collect the many packets of 600 eggs. Each volunteer delivers the trout eggs to a different classroom.

According to NWS member Ben Rand, the project spreads an important message: "What it takes to raise fish, how we should appreciate the fish. Hopefully, a little bit of (an) ecology lesson too. I am sure the youngsters are excited about raising fish."

Schultz made his delivery to Chris McOmie's second-grade classroom at the Banks school. Her students were very excited about the prospect of raising fish.



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Comments: Not much more to say than cool story and idea!

The Longevity of your Pet

The Longevity of your Pet Could be Affected by its Diet More than any Other Factor -What are we really feeding our pets? What pet manufacturers don't want us to know.

Kansas City, MO (PRWeb) February 23, 2007-- Don't be fooled by those slick ads on TV run by the major brands of your favorite dog and cat foods says entrepreneur/direct marketer John Karstetter. You've heard the expression, "You are what you eat?" It is especially true for pets. Like humans, pets may also be lacking in a daily nutritious, antioxidant and digestible diet.

Most pet foods sold today contain the 5 D's… dead, diseased, dying, disabled and drugged animals. Also included in the ingredients labeled as byproducts are animal intestines and brains, chicken heads, duck bills, fish heads, chicken and turkey feet, hides, feathers, hair, bones, dead animals that may have been treated with antibiotics or hormones, beef tallow or animal fat (lard), animal digest and "road kill".


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Comment:

Not really an aquarium or pond story, however I have been to many dog and cat food nutrition seminars when I was more involved in the Dog and Cat aspect of the Pet industry and I have to concur.

I also would like to note that this is also a common problem in most fish diets as many aquarist unknowingly throw trash foods such as TetraMin or BettaMin down their fish throats and then wonder why they have sick fish (such as the disease Dropsy) or their aquarium gets cloudy.


For more information about fish nurtrition, please visit this article:
Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health.

Central Point might give exotic pets the boot

Central Point might give exotic pets the boot -An ordinance banning nontraditional critters in the city is under discussion tonight at 7

By buffy pollock
for the Mail Tribune

CENTRAL POINT — Exotic pets ranging from wolves to raccoons to large snakes could be banned in town under a new ordinance before the City Council.

The council will consider the animal ordinance at 7 tonight in City Hall, 140 S. Third St., Central Point.

The proposed law would allow existing pets to be grandfathered in if they are registered with city code enforcement officials by March 12.

The current policy on keeping pets came under scrutiny after neighbors of Blue Grass Downs homeowner Nick Kessler complained about Kessler's pet bobcat, Kona. The Kessler family moved into the subdivision — across from a city park — last summer.

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Comment:

Not really an aquarium or pond story, but considering snakes are being considered, many fish can be thrown into this ban as well. Not that we don not need boundaries on which pets we can keep and not keep, it is possible as in some local and state governments to go too far, especially when bad information is used such as California’s statement that Piranha would populate the water ways (which is not true even for Piranha, as this fish will die off in water below 60-65 F, which there in not a body off water even in LA that does not get this cold in the winter.


BASIC AQUARIUM PRINCIPLES; Information for the proper set up, maintenance, care and feeding for freshwater aquariums

For a great Aquatics Forum where Everything Aquatic is discussed:
EVERYTHING AQUATIC; Aquarium Forum