The eggs have arrived!

For local students, the wait is finally over!

Staff from the District and the Portland Water District delivered 6,000 brook trout eggs to 14 schools with 20 tanks in southern Maine. The eggs from the Casco Fish Hatchery were taken in water bottles and coolers to schools in Cumberland County and surrounding areas. Elementary, middle, and high school students will raise the trout in their classrooms while learning about water quality and healthy aquatic ecosystems. In the spring, the students will go to a local river or stream to release their fry brook trout. Follow along as we watch the trout grow!

This program is funded in part by the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District, Portland Water District, Greener Neighborhoods Cleaner Streams, and the Interlocal Stormwater Working Group.

Thank you to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife for providing the brook trout eggs to our classrooms!

Did you know?

The District raises money through donations and grants to purchase and assemble trout tank setups for classrooms to help teachers get started. Each tank setup costs about $2,000. The specialty chiller to get the tanks low enough to replicate Maine winter stream conditions makes up most of that cost at $1,200.