PAW PAW (WKZO-AM/FM) — Sixth-graders in Paw Paw will be helping to replenish the salmon population in the Paw Paw River early Thursday.
Kevin Oles, a teacher with Paw Paw Public Schools, says up to 200 Chinook fingerlings will be released by his students at around 9:30 a.m. on the downstream side of the Maple Lake Dam.
From there, they’ll swim into the Paw Paw River.
“Hopefully, they’ll imprint, think of it as their natal stream, and come back to spawn,” Oles said.
The process began last fall with a batch of fertilized eggs in a chilled water tank in his classroom.
“The students see the whole life cycle from fertilized egg to fingerling,” Oles said.
It’s the fifth year Paw Paw students have taken part in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources “Salmon in the Classroom” program.
