Anchorage School District students got a chance to learn the basics of ice-fishing during an annual field trip to Jewel Lake on Wednesday. The ice-fishing event lasts three days, and more than 1,300 students will participate.
Besides a small escape from the classroom to the outdoors, the children also learned about safety on the ice and the type of fish in the lake. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game stocks the lake with Arctic char, landlocked Chinook salmon and rainbow trout. The students had the option of catch and release, or keeping the fish they caught.
"It's really important for them to get outside and do this hands-on stuff and actually get them excited about getting outside, fishing, and the difference between the different species in their backyard," says Jay Baumer, a biologist with Fish and Game.
The event is part of Fish and Game's "Salmon in the Classroom" program.
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