The winning entrants in the NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's Native Fish Art and Writing Contest were honored at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center in Oxford, Warren County, on the opening day of trout season, April 10.

Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin was on hand to meet contest winners and their families, as they enjoyed a morning of fishing at the Pequest Fishing Education Pond. The trout were biting, and everyone had a great time catching large numbers of these beautiful gamefish. Fish and Wildlife staff and volunteers assisted anglers to ensure they had a safe and enjoyable fishing experience.

After fishing, the winners of the contest received certificates and fishing equipment at an awards luncheon sponsored by the New Jersey Council of Trout Unlimited. Commissioner Martin spoke at the luncheon and assisted with the awards ceremony, praising the winners for their excellent artwork and essays.

After the luncheon, winners had the opportunity to take a personal tour of the Pequest Hatchery and learn how brook, brown and rainbow trout are raised for stocking in New Jersey’s publicly accessible waterways.

The purpose of this annual contest is to encourage children in grades 4 through 7 to learn about New Jersey's native fish species, and the importance of natural resource conservation. Students from around the state researched a native fish of New Jersey. They used the information learned to write a short story about one year in the life of that fish. Students then drew a picture that depicted a scene from their native fish story.

The 2010 Fish Art and Writing Contest winners are as follows:

 

NAME	CITY	PLACE	GRADE
Jackson Tilves	Flanders	1st	4th
James Carney	River Edge	2nd	4th
Jessie Fan	Cranbury	1st	5th
Ryan Siddique	Lawrenceville	2nd	5th
Brendan Werth	Princeton Junction	1st	6th
Martin Czajkowski	Clifton	2nd	6th
Cole DeAngelo	Barnegat	1st	7th
Gracielle Luna	Belleville	2nd	7th