Fry released into the Meikle Water

On Wednesday 18th March, it was Stronsay pupils’ turn to set their fry free into the Meikle Water.
Earlier on, a thick blanket of fog was rolling over the islands but it was gone by mid-morning and just like last year, the sun was shining, the daffodils glowing in the spring light and spending some time outdoors seemed a much better idea than being stuck inside, in a classroom…
The group was composed of 13 upper primary pupils and their teachers Mrs Dennison reinforced by our 4 AFYD (Angling For Youth Development) pupils Ieuan, Jack, James and Thomas.
Once we reached the bottom of the field, it didn’t take long for the older pupils to transfer the fragile fry into small plastic pouches so that every younger pupil would have the chance to release “their” troot!
Then, we looked at the predators our young fish would need to hide from, such as herons, mergansers, big trout and in the years to come, their biggest enemy the otter…
We also studied some samples gathered from the bottom of the loch and discovered some worms, caddis larvae, freshwater shrimps and Erik even managed to catch two water-boatmen (Corixa).
A big thank you to Morris and Sheila for the transport to and from the loch.

Tor more photos and posts regarding "Troot in the Shed", you can visit:
 https://trootintheshed.wordpress.com/

Mr P.