Frequently Asked Questions
What are the permits for?
In order to be able to raise and release Atlantic salmon, an endangered species, Fish Friends participants must have a permit issued by the Department of Marine Resources through the Fish Friends Coordinator and keep it with the fish until they are released. The permit also provides information about where those specific fish can be released in the spring, among other important details.
When do I start raising the temperature in my tank?
Follow these guidelines unless otherwise specified by your hatchery or Mentor:
- Have your tank’s water at 50F by the time the fish need to be stocked
- Keep the temperature as cold as possible as long as possible
- Don’t increase the temperature abruptly—a change of 1F twice per week (e.g. Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday—resulting in a total change of 2F per week) should be tolerable.
For example, if your goal is to stock your fish on May 31st, working backwards from there could look like this:
• 49F on May 28th
• 48F on May 24th
• 47F on May 21st
• 46F on May 17th
• 45F on May 14th
• 44F on May 10th
• 43F on May 7th (and so on)
What if the power goes out or my chiller malfunctions?
Get in touch with your Mentor or the Fish Friends Coordinator as soon as possible.
A TIP TO CONSIDER: Keep a couple of half gallon jugs of water frozen in the school freezer which can be added to the tank and may hold the temperature until problem is resolved.
What if my fry hatch well before my release date?
You may have to start feeding them. See below for the feeding protocol.
When can I release my fish?
Once your tank’s water is at 50F, your fish have developed into fry (no yolk sacs attached), and the stream where you’ll release them is right around 50F too, they should be ready to go into the wild! They can survive as fry in your tank, without supplemental food, for 1-2 weeks.
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