You Are Here: HOME > Media Releases
Media Releases
Fish future safe in young fish fingers
Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Western Australian school students are copping an earful, all in the name of marine science and research into the health of our WA fisheries.
Biology students from St Stephens High School in Duncraig had hands-on experience of fisheries research recently when they participated in a fish dissection activity, extracting ear bones, or otoliths, to determine each specimen’s age.
Michael Burke, Coordinator of the Department of Fisheries’ education arm, MarineDiscoveryWest, said the opportunity for students to participate in practical and worthwhile learning was invaluable in educating them about fisheries management.
“We have approximately 1000 students each year doing the activity. Students dissect their own fish and learn how fisheries scientists use this as a tool to help estimate the sustainability of fish stocks by determining the age structure and reproductive status of each population,” he said.
Mr Burke said that MarineDiscoveryWest was currently in discussions with the Department’s Finfish research staff to determine how to use the data to contribute to research on low and medium risk species, such as the herring which is purchased from retail outlets for the dissections.
Otoliths are important because they contain a record of a fish’s age in much the same way as tree rings. Each year a fish grows, tiny white and clear bands of calcified material are laid down in the bone, forming bands that can be seen and counted under low magnification.
“Otoliths are a special bone. They have no cells that can reabsorb material so once material is deposited it becomes a permanent record or diary of the life of that fish,” Mr Burke said.
He added that there’s a definite misperception amongst both fishers and non-fishers that a large fish is an old fish.
“We don’t assume that the tallest person in a room is the oldest, so why do that with a fish?” he said.
“A dhufish, for example, reaches close to its maximum size around about the age of 12 and doesn’t grow much more after that, yet it can live to 40 years’ old. So you might think you’re catching a big, grand old dhufish but it might only be 10 or 12 years’ old.
“The Department’s age structure monitoring and assessment work helps determine whether levels of fish mortality –- from catches and natural deaths – are sustainable and our education program means kids are armed with a better understanding of how we ensure our fisheries stay healthy in the future,” he said.
St Stephen’s Head of Science, Charles Biddle, said he was delighted at the opportunity for his class to think about the broader picture of marine biology and how sustainable fishing practices are developed in WA.
“I think students today are a lot more environmentally aware than those 20 or 30 years’ ago, and they have exposure to a lot more information about what’s happening globally,” he said.
“We have a Year 11 exchange student in our class who will take this knowledge back with her to Sweden, plus a student studying Marine Tourism at Challenger TAFE, so there are many opportunities to create awareness about being responsible when taking from our environment.”
Biology students from St Stephens High School in Duncraig had hands-on experience of fisheries research recently when they participated in a fish dissection activity, extracting ear bones, or otoliths, to determine each specimen’s age.
Michael Burke, Coordinator of the Department of Fisheries’ education arm, MarineDiscoveryWest, said the opportunity for students to participate in practical and worthwhile learning was invaluable in educating them about fisheries management.
“We have approximately 1000 students each year doing the activity. Students dissect their own fish and learn how fisheries scientists use this as a tool to help estimate the sustainability of fish stocks by determining the age structure and reproductive status of each population,” he said.
Mr Burke said that MarineDiscoveryWest was currently in discussions with the Department’s Finfish research staff to determine how to use the data to contribute to research on low and medium risk species, such as the herring which is purchased from retail outlets for the dissections.
Otoliths are important because they contain a record of a fish’s age in much the same way as tree rings. Each year a fish grows, tiny white and clear bands of calcified material are laid down in the bone, forming bands that can be seen and counted under low magnification.
“Otoliths are a special bone. They have no cells that can reabsorb material so once material is deposited it becomes a permanent record or diary of the life of that fish,” Mr Burke said.
He added that there’s a definite misperception amongst both fishers and non-fishers that a large fish is an old fish.
“We don’t assume that the tallest person in a room is the oldest, so why do that with a fish?” he said.
“A dhufish, for example, reaches close to its maximum size around about the age of 12 and doesn’t grow much more after that, yet it can live to 40 years’ old. So you might think you’re catching a big, grand old dhufish but it might only be 10 or 12 years’ old.
“The Department’s age structure monitoring and assessment work helps determine whether levels of fish mortality –- from catches and natural deaths – are sustainable and our education program means kids are armed with a better understanding of how we ensure our fisheries stay healthy in the future,” he said.
St Stephen’s Head of Science, Charles Biddle, said he was delighted at the opportunity for his class to think about the broader picture of marine biology and how sustainable fishing practices are developed in WA.
“I think students today are a lot more environmentally aware than those 20 or 30 years’ ago, and they have exposure to a lot more information about what’s happening globally,” he said.
“We have a Year 11 exchange student in our class who will take this knowledge back with her to Sweden, plus a student studying Marine Tourism at Challenger TAFE, so there are many opportunities to create awareness about being responsible when taking from our environment.”
| < Previous | Top |
