Thousands of salmon eggs arrive at southeast Washington schools

It’s “egg day” at Davis Elementary School in College Place. And Darin Durand’s fifth graders have lots of words to describe their 150 new guests. 

“They remind me of little balls, like bouncy balls,” Daniel Meza said. 

“Baby, baby oranges,” Hailee Hallowell added.

“They remind me of, like, a boba drink,” Payton Johnson said. “But with eyes.” 

Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife started putting salmon in school aquariums in the early ‘90s. The program has changed since then: It’s now called the School Cooperative Program instead of Salmon in the Classroom. 

It’s no longer funded by the state, either. When funding dried up in the 2010s, schools and regional partners took on the responsibility of paying for and administering the program. 

In the Walla Walla Valley, a nonprofit called Tri-State Steelheaders oversees the initiative. 

Last week, the organization distributed salmon eggs to 29 sites, reaching about 1,700 students from pre-K through high school. That’s up from around three sites in 2015. 

“The kids get to actually interact with the fish as they hatch from eggs up to alevins and fry,” said Sarah Moffitt, Tri-State Steelheaders’ education coordinator. “It’s really fun to come by each month and hear what’s happened in their aquarium and what they’ve noticed.” 

Moffitt believes that raising salmon offers valuable lessons for kids. “We’re wanting to educate them to help them become better stewards of our community and our environment,” she said.  

Durand, the fifth grade teacher who’s hosting Davis Elementary’s aquarium, appreciates that the students learn about salmon’s significance to Indigenous cultures, as well. “The whole process is amazing,” he said. “It’s great to see hands-on learning for the kids.”

Durand has had salmon in his classroom for about 17 years. Though he loves watching the salmon arrive and hatch, his favorite time of year is release day. That’s when students free the salmon into nearby waterways. 

The students, for their part, seemed thrilled about every step that was ahead of them. 

“It’s cool,” said Ray Harris, a student in Durand’s class. “A lot of classes have goldfish and stuff, but we get to have salmon.” 

“I’m excited to watch them grow,” added classmate Carson Williams. “Like, I’m not just gonna stand here and watch them grow, but every day when I come to school, I’ll see them get a little bigger.” 

In total, more than 700 schools across the state will receive salmon eggs between now and February. Students will get monthly lessons about the fish before releasing them into rivers in the spring.