Bord Iascaigh Réigiúnach an Oirthir
Press Release 3rd February 2007
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board in conjunction with the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards will be running a new Education Programme from February until November 2007 in the districts of Dublin, Wexford, Kildare and Monaghan. The programme consists of a series of presentations and field trips to over 10 schools in each district. The existing ‘Something Fishy’ education resource, produced by the Fisheries Boards in conjunction with Blackrock Education Centre a few years so, has been well received by Primary School teachers and students. However, in order to create further awareness for the resource and to ensure Fisheries staff can visit as many schools as possible, a national programme has been agreed by the Central and Regional Fisheries Boards as well as a competition element with 12 education centers nationwide to increase distribution of the pack and educate primary school children on the importance of their local environment, fishery habitat and Ireland’s fish species.
Angus and Tara Corps acting fishy
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board has run a number of annual education programmes including school visits, presentations and fishing competitions. The Board also set up the Dublin Angling Initiative (DAI) in 1995 to cater for the needs of anglers in the Dublin area with a special focus on urban areas lacking in suitable amenities for young people. The work carried out by the DAI has given a boost to local communities and young people and has encouraged young people from disadvantaged areas to take an interest in angling. The DAI use the Something Fishy resource as an additional tool in class presentations and fieldtrips. The DAI also runs fishing workshops for several hundred young people in the Dublin area. This gives young people the opportunity to experience sea, coarse and game angling.
The Something Fishy pack is aimed at fifth and sixth classes and comprises of 9 double-sided activity cards for pupils, which explore different aspects of fish life, e.g. water, fish, the life cycle of a salmon, fish stocks, angling, conservation of our rivers and lakes, and fish as part of the food chain. Teachers’ notes which accompany each individual activity card include relevant background information and guidelines on working through the lesson. The pack is accompanied by a high quality poster, developed by Liam O’Broin, an experienced teacher, angler and artist, and aims to aid the learning process in order to keep the children interested once the activity cards have been completed.
Each school will be asked to produce a class project based on the lessons in the pack and based on one of four main themes: 1) Art, 2) Literacy, 3) IT and 4) Practical Conservation. The top two schools in each region will get a place in the National Final. The winning class and teacher will be awarded with individual certificates, a school certificate and an array of fantastic prizes including microscopes and digital cameras.
Minister of State for the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr. John Browne, T.D, said ‘I am particularly interested in the 'Something Fishy' initiative and have watched its progress with interest since I launched the pack in 2004. The Regional Fisheries Boards protect our fisheries stocks and habitat on a daily basis to ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy amenities that are sometimes taken for granted. Young people's interest and imagination can be captured when they become aware of these habitats, the fish species in their local waterways, what is needed to protect them and what they can do to help in that effort. I would like to congratulate the Fisheries Boards and the Education Centres on this initiative and I wish all the schools that take part the very best of luck".
Pat Doherty, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Regional Fisheries Board added: ‘Education is an important part of our remit; we have done a great deal of work in this area to date and we fully support this new initiative. We have witnessed an increase in youth membership in a number of angling clubs in our region, which is great news, but we need to do more to encourage young people to take an interest. Something Fishy has proved to be an excellent tool for our staff and it has received nothing but positive feedback since its launch. I hope the national programme will rejuvenate and breathe new life into this fantastic resource and help to encourage young people to get involved in angling and fisheries conservation’
The pack is available in Irish and English and is also supported with an interactive website, www.somethingfishy.ie. The website consists of interactive games, quizzes and activities that refer to the information in the pack. The website can help to reinforce the lessons learnt in class and in doing so, educate children about the importance of the environment, fish species in Ireland and how we can work together to ensure conservation of fish and fishing in Ireland.
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Media enquiries: Marketing Angling Co-ordinator, Eastern Regional Fisheries Board, 087 2746127
The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board is a statutory authority whose function is to conserve, develop, protect, manage and promote the inland fisheries and sea angling resources within its jurisdiction. The Region extends from the border in Northern Ireland to South of the Wexford coast and includes all catchments which enter the sea between these boundaries.
The full list of education centres taking part in the national programme are as follows: Blackrock, Dublin west, Kildare, Wexford, Monaghan, Donegal, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Athlone, Cork, Kilkenny