FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Megan O’Neill’s aquascience students learned a lesson this school term they could sink their teeth into — that is if their subjects of study didn’t bite them first. The Fairhope High School teens raised alligator gar since August, and released them Dec. 14 into the eastern waters of Ducker Bay off Meaher State Park in Spanish Fort.

They worked with Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division staff to help repopulate the native fish, which has become somewhat scarce in recent years.

Dave Armstrong, the state agency’s District 5 supervisor, heard about the FHS curriculum and contacted O’Neill to ask if she and her students would assist with a conservation program to help grow and replenish gar in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. The state supplied the stock, and the students monitored the fish and kept them well fed.

“The whole delta is one of the last hot spots of population, and 20-25 years ago their numbers were quite larger,” said Armstrong. Only Arkansas and Louisiana also have a comparative number of the species.

He cited commercial fishing pressure as one of the reasons for the decline, and noted they were taken in “fair number” over the last few years.

At issue is whether the alligator gar have sufficient time to reproduce before they’re pulled from the water. He said, “They have to be fairly old before spawning: females 10-11 years old, and males about 7.”

There was no bag limit for alligator gar harvested in Alabama in the late 1980s and early 1990s which was a period of great decline, according to Armstrong. A limit of two per angler per day was implemented in 1992, and was reduced to just one per day four years ago.

Ironically, a state law remaining on the books allows the killing of all alligator gar captured. He said the department is attempting to have it repealed.

The species, which lives locally as long as 50 years, can reach 7 1/2 feet in length and weigh more than 150 pounds (the state record), is primarily sought by bow hunters. They are not considered tasty table fare by most, and are in fact thought to be detrimental to popular species such as bream and largemouth bass.

“It’s an age-old thing. Fishermen think if you can’t eat it, it’s not worth having,” Armstrong said. “They do eat some sport fish, but studies show they are actually scavengers who eat lots of dead stuff. They are the street sweepers of the delta.”

The Fairhope students began the school year with 11 alligator gar, but one was missing when they were pulled from the tanks for relocation. It is believed the missing gar was cannibalized by its tank mates. Its implanted PIT (passive integrated transformer) tag has not yet been found, however.

Armstrong pointed out the development of dams upstate has hindered the movement of alligator gar and destroyed their habitat, something that prompted the state to raise thousands of the gar for replenishment in waterways to the north. Among them is around the Claiborne Dam on the Alabama River.

“We can still allow anglers to seek them out,” Armstrong said. “But most said they saw a strong decline in alligator gar (in 2004). From the Blakeley River on down is considered a good area to fish for them.”

The aquascience program at the high school began under former FHS faculty member Kim Bishop in 2002, and O’Neill has been working with the students since 2004. The latter has a background in environmental science, and was the recipients of ARMADA Project grants from the National Science Foundation in 2007 and 2009.

O’Neill’s first grant funded a scientific journey to the Arctic, where she helped map the ocean floor. The second took her to the Antarctic to tag humpback whales and study ice fish.

“We had been raising tillapia,” she said, “but we wanted to work with a native species. Margaret Sedlecky (education coordinator of the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve) had been working with us on Grasses in Classes, and we’d been kicking around ideas since last year.”

The students get a lot out of the experience of studying and raising fish as part of their overall studies. O’Neill said, “They learn about how each part of our ecosystem is an integral part of the environment, and how invasive species can impact vegetation and water quality. We have this wonderful resource in our backyard.”

The alligator gar raised by the students averaged about 1/3 pound, with the largest weighing in at nearly 7/10 of a pound. They weighed around 25 grams when received from the state. O’Neill said the average length was 166 millimeters upon receipt and 300 millimeters when released.

Their measurements and weight were recorded Monday before release, and matched with their 10-digit PIT tag number. Although some alligator gar are occasionally brought by the public to Armstrong’s office, he expects state officials will likely find and check the PIT tags of most of the new releases.

State officials hope to have another opportunity to work with FHS students. Armstrong said, “It’s great for the kids and it’s really educational.”