Pupils release fish they raised in class

children set hundreds of fry free after watching them hatch at school

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YOUNG fish raised in classroom tanks were released into the River Don yesterday.

Hundreds of fry were set free after living under the watchful gaze of Kemnay Academy pupils over the past three months for an eco project.

The event was part of the school’s first eco day, designed to encourage the youngsters to take a more active role in school environmental projects.

Strathdon Hatchery supervised the release of the 1in fish, which hatched a few days after the school received the eyed eggs on Valentine’s Day.

Biology teacher Janet Davidson said they will survive, despite having to rely on pupils to feed them over the past few weeks.

“They lived off their yolk sacks at first and the pupils have only been feeding them for the past three weeks so they haven’t become conditioned. They’re still small enough just now,” she added.

The release was one of a range of eco-day activities. Other events included a trip to a nearby forest for a tutorial on how to light fires safely and a visit from the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative’s “travelling farm” of lambs and pigs.

Principal teacher of science Sandra Buchan said the day was a success. “It’s been an absolute ball. The kids are all smiling and have had a lot of fun,” she said.

The activities were only open to first-year pupils this time but the school hopes to extend it to other years in the future.