Educating
the next generation about rivers, their inhabitants
and the environment is seen as a vital task.
We therefore provide assistance for a key national
project.
Salmon in the Classroom.
This is a cross agency initiatives providing
some of the best hands-on learning that our children
can experience. It allows them to take part in
a real life conservation initiative.
Participating Agencies include Scottish
Natural Heritage, The
Scottish Executive,
Perth & Kinross
Council (teachers, Countryside
Rangers and supporting school staff), Atholl
Countryside
Rangers and the Tay
District Salmon Fisheries Board.
A key part of both programmes is bringing fish
directly into the primary class room. From our
hatchery we provide eyed salmon eggs to each school.
These
are placed in fish tanks held in chiller cabinets.
This enables the kids to watch daily the hatching
of the eggs and development of the baby fish, which
are then returned to a local river. The children
not only learn about the natural history of the
fish, but actually get to look after them.
Subsequently class field trips are organised to
the release locations and using electrofishing
equipment catch fish (hopefully including some
of the ones they released). This enables pupils
to identify different fish and their life stages
and even to learn how to handle fish safely and
properly.
Fish are not the only topics covered during such
field trips. Kick samples of aquatic life are taken
and the youngsters are invited to count and identify
them using simple keys.
Up until now funding has been provided
by the European Union under CASS, but this source
will expire in 2008, thus a replacement source
is urgently needed.
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