Teacher's notes #Fishy Friday - Countryside Classroom

Teacher’s notes

 #Fishy Friday

What is Fish Farming?
 #Fishy Friday
The aim of this session is to:
By the end of this session students will have a good understanding of how fish are farmed
and caught within the UK, as well as the importance of fish within a balanced and nutritious
diet.

Resources available online:
 • Suitable for EYFS+
 o Trout pate on toast (British Smoked Trout Pate | British Trout Association)
 o Rainbow trout pasta (Easy Family Rainbow Trout Pasta - LWNutrition)
 o One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive - Once I Caught a
 Fish Alive THE BEST Songs for Children | LooLoo Kids - YouTube
 o Counting fish song - Numbers Song | Counting Fish | Nursery Rhymes |
 Original Song By LittleBabyBum! - YouTube
 o Five little fish swimming in the sea - 5 Little Fish | Count to 5 | Fun Learning
 Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann - YouTube
 • Suitable for KS1 +
 o Chalkstream trout farm - Chalkstream Trout on Vimeo
 o Fish Song - Fish Song - YouTube
 o Slippery fish song (great for food chains) - Slippery Fish Nursery Rhyme
 Song For Children with Lyrics and Actions - YouTube
 • Suitable for KS3 +
 o Sir David Attenborough – how to save the oceans - David Attenborough
 Explains What We Need to Do to Stop Over-Fishing - YouTube
 o Conservation Strategy Fund’s video - Fisheries Economics & Policy: Intro to
 Fisheries Management - YouTube
 o Overfishing Restoring Our Oceans: How Fishers Can Turn the Tide of
 Overfishing - YouTube
 o TED talks - Underwater farms vs. climate change - Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
 and Megan Davis - YouTube
 o TED talks - The four fish we're overeating -- and what to eat instead | Paul
 Greenberg - YouTube

The ‘#Fishy Friday Activity power-point has been designed to support this session and
can be used within a classroom or assembly set up. Slides can be printed out and used
as hard copies to be handled by students. The Power point contains photos of all the
fish species explained within this resource, as well as:
 • Life cycle of the fish (trout)
 • Global Aquaculture data
 • Parts of the fish
 • Fish cards
 o Bass, cod, crab, haddock, mackerel, prawn, salmon, trout and tuna

For further information on using farming and the countryside within education visit:
LEAF Education | LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) (leafuk.org)
www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk
Farmer Time | LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) (leafuk.org)
www.whyfarmingmatters.co.uk
Farmer Time | LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) (leafuk.org)
www.whyfarmingmatters.co.uk

EYFS
#Fishy Friday
 o Where do fish live?
 o What do fish need to survive?
 o What does a fish farmer need to provide to keep their fish happy?
 o What fish do we like to eat?
 o What is your favourite fishy food?
 o If you were going to design a new fishy dinner, what would you call
 it and what would it look and taste like?

Introduction
 • What animals do we expect to see on a farm?
 • Some of the animals that we like to eat did not come from a farm, they were
 wild and had to be caught? What lives in water and has to be caught?
 • What do fish look like, do they have legs?
 • What is your favourite fishy food – fish cakes, fish fingers, tuna pasta, fish
 and chips?
 • What types of fish have you heard of before?
 o Tuna, Cod, Haddock, Trout, Mackerel, Plaice, Bass, Prawns, Crab,
 Salmon

Activity Ideas
 • What do fish need to be happy? Clean water, food, space to swim and
 protection from predators
 • Some fish live in the sea and have to be caught by fishermen/women, whilst
 others are reared on farms by Fish Farmers. What do these people need to
 wear when they are at work? Will they get very wet?
 • What do you think that the fish will feel like?
 Use closed boxes which contain different textures and ask the children to
 describe what they can feel, which one feels like a fish and why?
 • Some fish need to live in salt water (in the sea) and others like to live in fresh
 water (ponds and lakes). Using two bowls of water, add salt to one and
 draw pictures that represent the beach and the sea to decorate it. The
 other bowl represents freshwater, so is just add tap water and decorate
 with countryside drawings.
 • Using the ‘#Fishy Friday Activity’ PowerPoint for inspiration, help the
 children sort the fish:
 o Which live in salt water and which live in freshwater?

o What other similarities and differences are there? Which fish have…
 ▪ Legs or no legs?
 ▪ Spots or stripes?
 ▪ farmed and/or wild?

• Tasting activity:
 o Fish are a fantastic source of omega 3, vitamin D and Iodine – vital for healthy growth
 and the development of brain power, yet many children do not eat the recommended
 two portions a week. Fish is often perceived to be expensive but can be included within
 a healthy diet without breaking the bank. Getting the children involved in a taste testing
 activity is a good way to encourage them to try new foods. Perhaps you could….
 ▪ Add salmon pieces (the offcuts) to a cream cheese sandwich (or bagel)
 ▪ Fish finger sandwiches are always popular
 ▪ Frozen prawns can be dipped into mayonnaise as finger food
 ▪ Crab sticks are a great addition to a packed lunch.
 o Getting the children involved in preparing their own food can really help picky eaters to
 be adventurous. These recipes include lots of great textures and opportunities for
 children to help prepare the fish (once cooked) and to enjoy mashing and chopping
 some of the ingredients:
 ▪ Trout pate on toast
 ▪ Rainbow trout pasta
 o Which recipe is their favourite? Which texture did they like and why?

• Fish of the future activity:
 o Ask the children to use the fish from the #Fishy Friday Activity’ as inspiration, talk about
 the common features of all the fish ie. they can swim and breathe under water, they
 hatch out of eggs and they have great camouflage so they are tricky to find. Now ask
 the children to use their imaginations:
 ▪ Design the fish of the future. How will fish evolve over the next 100 years, will
 they grow bigger or smaller, will they eat different foods, will we eat them and
 if so will they taste different, will they change shape or grow legs?
 ▪ Design a fishy snack. What will it be called? What do they think that the fish
 snack will taste like and how will it look? Perhaps they would like to include the
 fish in a dip or as a new type of biscuit???

• Healthy living activity:
 o Fish are really good for us to eat and lots of fun, can the children pretend to be fish,
 there are a variety of fishy songs to inspire them. How do fish move when they swim?
 Can the children move like a fish, what about a crab? How would a prawn walk?

Key Stage One and Two
What will the Farmer need to raise fish on the farm? What will the fisherman need to catch
fish in the sea and the river? Can you sort these fish into salt water and freshwater fish?

Fish are a really healthy food, where do they feature on the eatwell plate, and how many
ways can we eat fish?

#Fishy Friday
 o What do fish need to survive?
 o Which fish live in the sea and which live in lakes and ponds?
 o How many ways can we eat fish?
 o What does fish taste like?

Introduction
 • All fish live in water, but what else do they need to be happy?
 • What do fish eat?
 • Some fish live in the wild and have to be caught, whilst others are reared on fish
 farms. How would the jobs of the Fisherman/woman and the Fish Farmer differ?

Activity Ideas
 • Using the ‘#Fishy Friday Activity’ PowerPoint for inspiration, can the children identify
 the different parts of each type of fish?
 • What are the similarities and differences between the different types of fish?
 o Which fish live in salt water (in the sea) and which in fresh water (ponds and
 lakes)?
 o Which fish do they think live in the wild and which can be reared on a farm?
 o Which fish have…
 ▪ Legs or no legs?
 ▪ Spots or stripes?
 ▪ farmed and/or wild?
 o Which fish have they eaten before and which haven’t they?
 • All of the fish are very different sizes and weights, can pupils produce life size
 drawings/models to show how much they vary?
 • Compare the life cycle of a trout with that of a chicken - which came first the fry or
 the trout?
 • Using the Global Aquaculture slide, pupils research the different fish species farmed
 across the globe. How many are salt water and how many are freshwater? How
 many do they recognise? Which fish are eaten in this country?

• Using the video of Chalkstream Trout Farm in Hampshire for inspiration can the
 children..
 o identify what the Farmer is providing to help the fish to thrive?
 ▪ Clean fresh water
 ▪ Good quality food
 ▪ Water which is constantly flowing so that they have to keep
 swimming and build muscle
 o What are the trout farm’s aims?
 ▪ Good quality fish that taste great
 ▪ Sustainable approach to farming, keeping the river water clean

• Tasting activity:
 o Fish is a fantastic source of vitamin D and Iodine – vital for healthy growth
 and the development of brain power, yet many children do not eat the
 recommended two portions a week. Fish is often perceived to be
 expensive, but can be included within a healthy diet without breaking the
 bank:
 ▪ Add salmon pieces (the offcuts) to a cream cheese sandwich (or
 bagel)
 ▪ Fish finger sandwiches are always popular
 ▪ Frozen prawns can be dipped into mayonnaise as finger food
 ▪ Crab sticks are a great addition to a packed lunch.
 o Getting the children involved in preparing their food provides a great
 incentive for trying new things:
 ▪ Trout pate on toast (British Smoked Trout Pate | British Trout
 Association)
 ▪ Rainbow trout pasta (Easy Family Rainbow Trout Pasta -
 LWNutrition)
 o Which recipe is their favourite? Which texture did they like and why?
• Ask the children to use the fish from the #Fishy Friday Activity’ in a fishy dinner
 of their own design. What do they think that the fish will taste like and what
 would their meal look like? Perhaps they would like to include the fish in a
 sandwich or as a new type of biscuit???

Key Stage Three and Four
Explore the lifecycle of fish, how are farmed and wild fish different? What is the water
to plate journey and what are the environmental and economic issues associated with
fish farming and fishing?

#Fishy Friday
 o What do fish need to survive in the wild and in farms?
 o Which fish live in the sea and which live in lakes and ponds?
 o How many ways can we eat fish?
 o What does fish taste like?

Fish are a really healthy food, where do they feature on the eatwell plate, and how
many ways can we eat fish?

Introduction
 • All fish live in water, some are reared on farms and others are caught in the
 wild. Which fish do the students think can be farmed and which live in the wild?
 • Which fish have the students eaten and which do they enjoy the most and why?
 • Some fish live in the wild and have to be caught, whilst others are reared on fish
 farms. How would the jobs of the Fisherman/woman and the Fish Farmer
 differ?
Activity Ideas
 • Using the ‘#Fishy Friday Activity’ PowerPoint for inspiration, talk the students
 through the different stages of the trout’s life cycle and consider how it is
 different to the life cycle of a wild trout which lives in rivers and lays eggs
 amongst the river bed?
 • What are the similarities and differences between the different types of fish?
 o Which fish live in salt water (in the sea) and which in fresh water (ponds
 and lakes)?
 o Which fish do they think live in the wild and which can be reared on a
 farm?
 o Which fish have…
 o Which fish have they eaten before and which haven’t they?
 • Using the Global Aquaculture slide, pupils research the different fish species
 farmed across the globe. How many are salt water and how many are
 freshwater? How many do they recognise? Which method of fish farming is
 appropriate for which species of fish? What are the likely environmental issues
 associated with each set up and how might they be managed effectively?

• Using the suggested videos as inspiration, consider the issues associated with
 managing fishing quotas on a UK and global scale. Debate the pros and cons of
 the system considering the views of small fishermen with just one boat, larger
 businesses with a large fleet and many staff, the fish monger that wishes to
 purchase a range of fish and the environmentalist concerned about fish stocks.
 • The range of fish species eaten within UK homes is perceived to be very limited,
 yet when eating out, visitors to restaurants tend to be more adventurous and
 eat a wider range of fish. Why do the students think this is?
 o Lack of confidence in how to prepare these fish dishes?
 o Lack of knowledge on how to prepare such fish meals?
 o Lack of availability of a wider range of fish species?
 o The perception that more ‘complex’ fish are more expensive?
 Students could research amongst their peers/teachers to find the answers?
 • Students produce marketing material such as posters and videos to encourage
 more adventurous consumption of a wider range of fish, perhaps concentrating
 on these species currently exported and popular abroad:
 o Sea Bass
 o Turburt
 o Brill
 o Dover Sole
 o Cuttle Fish
 o Whiting
 o Pollock

Tasting activity:
 o Fish is a fantastic source of vitamin D and Iodine – vital for healthy
 growth and the development of brain power, yet many children do not
 eat the recommended two portions a week. Fish is often perceived to
 be expensive, but can be included within a healthy diet without breaking
 the bank:
 o Students to research dishes and snacks that can be prepared using fish
 from the following list:
 ▪ Sea Bass
 ▪ Turburt
 ▪ Brill
 ▪ Dover Sole
 ▪ Cuttle Fish
 ▪ Whiting
 ▪ Pollock
 o Using their research findings students to prepare these dishes and take
 part in a blind tasting activity, which is the most popular and why?

#Fishy Friday PowerPoint
There are very many different species of fish, some live in saltwater, some in freshwater,
and a select few that live in both! The #Fishy Friday Powerpoint contains photos for
each of the most commonly known species.

Bass
Sea bass live in the sea. Approximately 10% of seabass eaten is wild, whilst the rest have
been farmed in cages floating in the sea or specially designed tanks at land-based farms.
Wild Sea Bass eat crustaceans, molluscs and smaller fish, and can grow to 55cm in length
and weigh 5kg. Bass tastes nice filleted, with no skin and boiled in slightly salted water
for about 3 minutes, then covered in melted butter and topped with parsley and a little
paprika.

Cod
Atlantic cod is found around all coastal areas of the North Atlantic Ocean and is the most
popular fish eaten in the UK. The fish is so popular and has been over-fished, so fishing
quotas and restrictions are now in place to help stocks to recover. Most cod eaten in
the UK comes from the seas near Norway, Russia and Iceland which have stringent
sustainability policies. Cod can grow up to 80cm in length and weigh 8kg. Cod
tastes great when cooked in batter, with chips and mushy peas.

Crab
The Brown crab is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and
perhaps the Mediterranean Sea. It is a robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an
oval carapace with a characteristic "pie crust" edge and black tips to the claws. The crab
grows to 25cm across and can weigh up to 1kg when fully matured.

Crabs like to eat dead organic matter from the sea floor and shellfish such as mussels
and other smaller crabs. Crabs are a sustainable food as most are caught using fishing
pots, which means that fisherman can throw juvenile crabs back into the sea, so they
can mature and reproduce. Crab tastes great when used in a crab cake, a risotto or
linguine.

Haddock
Haddock is found around all coastal areas of the North Atlantic Ocean, especially around
Scotland. All haddock fishing is subject to strict management plans, with the EU and
Norway agreeing to a plan for the North Sea in 2005, which is updated regularly. Haddock
can grow up to 55cm in length and weigh 3kg.

Haddock is popular cooked from raw and tastes particularly great when smoked. Smoked
haddock is traditionally the main ingredient in Kedgeree, an Indian inspired recipe with
rice and egg.

Mackerel
Mackerel live in the sea and are well known for moving in large shoals for protection from
their many predators. A sleek and colourful with very healthy dark flesh loaded with oils
and Omega-3. Wild Mackerel can grow to 35cm in length and weigh 800g

Mackerel is very popular across the UK both cooked from raw and as hot smoked
mackerel, and tastes nice poached, with a poached egg and a little oil on warm toast

Prawn
There are about 3000 species of prawn across the world. With about 200 species
commonly eating. Over half of those eaten worldwide are farmed.
The most commonly eaten prawn species will grow to 8cm and weigh 10g. Prawns like to
eat plants, decaying organic matter, micro-organisms, small shellfish and worms.

The prawn has five pairs of legs, the three pairs at the back are used for walking, and
the tow at the front have pincers used for catching food and eating. Prawns are delicious
when eaten raw, baked, boiled, fried, grilled, roasted or steamed

Salmon
Salmon are saltwater fish, yet they swim inland up rivers and streams to lay their eggs
each year. Eggs are buried in the riverbed until they hatch into Fry. Fry slowly grow into
Smolts, when up to 6 years later they will swim downstream and out to sea. The salmon
quickly mature in the saltwater and return after only a few years to lay their own eggs.

Wild salmon can grow up to 80 cm long and weigh 8kg as mature adults.
Salmon tastes great smoked and sliced with cream cheese on a bagel, as a mousse or in
a fishcake.

Trout
Trout are freshwater fish, with the brown (see photo) and rainbow trout the
most well-known. Wild Brown Trout can grow to 30cm in length and weigh
700g. Most rainbow trout are reared on farms for the recreational fishing
market, whilst brown trout are reared primarily for eating.
Smoked trout tastes great as a pate, blend in some cream cheese and
horseradish, then chill = easy!

Tuna
Tuna are amongst the fastest fish in the world. Bluefin tuna grow up to 3
metres in length and weigh in at 668kg when fully grown, whilst the species
most commonly caught for tinning are skipjack tuna which can grow up to
108 cm and weigh just 33kg.

Across much of the world there are strict limits on the type, size and quantity
of tuna that can be caught, using ‘dolphin friendly’ nets to minimise
ecological disruption. Tuna tastes great in a cheesy tuna pasta bake or mixed
with mayonnaise and chopped cucumber in a sandwich.

The life cycle of a trout:

Trout are raised within the UK for the eating and sports fishing market. The
native brown trout makes a great fish for fishing lakes whilst the rainbow
trout grows twice as fast and is less prone to disease making it more suitable
for the eating market.

Eggs are collected

 After 1 – 3 months the trout hatch from their eggs as Alevin -
they live off their yolk sack which is still attached

 After a few weeks they lose their egg sacks to become Fry

 The Fry grow to be up to 25mm long

 A few months later they are 50-70mm long and are
known as Parr

 Young adult trout are known as Fingerlings and are ready to
be released into larger tanks.

 Adult trout lay thousands of eggs which are collected by
the Farmers to produce the next generation of trout.

Trout are river fish so need to be constantly moving in order to grow up healthy
and strong. This makes them ideal for river farms but less so for lakes.

Global Aquaculture
 • The population of the world is increasing at 1.6% per year, this means that food
 production across the world must increase to meet demand.
 • The World Health Organisation recommends that a minimum of two fish portions
 should be consumed per week.
 • Per capita fish consumption has doubled since the 1960s and continues to
 increase at a rate of 3.2% per year.
 • Yet, the quantity of fish being captured has plateaued (slide 9) due to over-fishing
 and lack of habitat. Whilst fish farming (aquaculture production) has grown, and
 is now almost double that of fishing (capture production)
 • As slide 10 shows the growth in aquaculture production is set to continue
 increasing, providing both a source of healthy food and boosting economies across
 thew world.
 • Aquaculture production can take many different forms and is a global industry,
 growing to meet increased demand worldwide.
 • As a food source, aquaculture production provides an efficient system, compared
 to traditional meat production (See slide 12) and provides peace of mic for many
 as fish are quickly despatched using electricity or a quick bump to the head.
 • But what about environmental concerns?
 o Aquaculture production is a fastmoving industry benefitting from research
 and new techniques to minimise any negative impacts:
 ▪ Farmed fish are increasingly being fed a insect and plant based diet,
 using by-products that would otherwise be waste, such as rice
 bran. In tis way they are meeting the needs of carnivores with
 vegetarian products, increasing its sustainability as an industry/.
 ▪ Shellfish and seaweed farming is beneficial as they do not require
 feeding at all. As filter feeders they improve the quality of the water
 they inhabit. Absorbing carbon through photosynthesis these
 farms also provide habitats for other species to thrive.
 ▪ The close monitoring of water quality by Aquaculture Producers
 means that any problems are quickly identified and resolved even
 if completely unrelated, so benefitting the river and lake habitats.
 o Dolphin Friendly Tuna provides a great example of how environmental
 concerns about the impact of inappropriate fishing techniques can be
 resolved with effective education and marketing.

Fishing in the UK
Fishing is a popular pastime within the UK, supported by a growing industry, with
fish produced specifically to stock fishing lakes, fishing boat trips sold as day trips
and holidays. Rods and associated equipment for fly fishing enthusiasts can cost
thousands of pounds. Indeed the sport of fishing supports many other industries
both directly and indirectly, including tourism and education.

On a commercial level, fishing at sea is a traditional industry that has shaped our
island nation. There has been much discussion in the news recently about the
industry and its struggle to survive.

In an effort to prevent over-fishing and allow fish stocks to recover, the EU limits
the number of fish that can be caught (landed) each year. It is referred to as the
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and determines how many fish of each species each
country’s fleets are allowed to catch

Post-Brexit Fishing Quotas
Since the beginning of 2021, the UK has slowly been regaining control of its
waters, and whilst UK fishing rights are no longer controlled by the Common
Fisheries Policy, and there has been a small but noticeable increase in quotas.
However. critics would prefer a blanket increase rather than species specific, and
that more marketable fish such as sole, haddock and cod had benefitted. Indeed
Channel Cod is an extremely popular fish with consumers yet the UK still only has
9% of the total quota compared to France’s 84%.

Post Brexit, the exclusion zone which restricts non-UK fishing boats entering the
seas closest to the UK coast, remains at 6 miles, rather than the hoped for
12miles. This means that the UK controls the quotas and fishing practices only
within the smaller area. Over 80% of UK fishing uses passive, more sustainable,
techniques such as pots and nets, yet these are unfeasible over 6 miles from
shore as larger European Super Trawlers and Factory Ships dredge the water right
up to boundary and drag the more passive equipment away.

By 2026, the UK will have complete control of fishing quotas and permits within
the 12 mile exclusion zone. In theory, it would be possible to ban all non-UK
fishing. Yet, in 2019, the UK fishing industry exported more than 333,000 tonnes
of fish to the EU. It accounted for nearly half of the total catch of the UK fishing
fleet and roughly three quarters of total fish exports from the UK, so with much
of the UK fish marker reliant upon exports, would EU trade tariffs on imports and
exports make such a decision unwise? (slides 13 and 14)

Fish as part of a healthy diet
The World Health Organisation recommends that we consume at least two portions
of fish per week as part of a well-balanced diet. Fish provide a low fat source of
protein, as well as being a fantastic source of omega 3, vitamin D and Iodine – vital
for healthy growth and the development of brain power, yet many children do not
eat the recommended two portions a week.

The Future of Fish
As fish farming becomes more sustainable and fishing within UK waters works to
become more viable, the British Consumer is regarded by many as the most
important factor in the future success of fish production within the UK.

UK consumption of fish concentrates on just a few species:
 • Cod – the majority of which is caught outside of UK waters and imported.
 • Haddock – sourced predominantly from Scotland
 • Prawns – specifically farmed warm water prawns from India which may have
 a negative impact upon natural habitats and the environment
 • Tuna – imported from outside the UK
 • Salmon – farmed in Scotland and imported from Norway

Indeed, the seafood market is currently worth £4 billion per year, split between £2
billion within the food service market (restaurants) and £1.7 billion for retailers and
home consumption. Of this £1.7 billion, an astounding £1 billion consists of just
salmon and prawns, a staggering quantity considering that there are so many
different species of fish that are available.

So, how can the UK become more self sufficient and ensure that future fish
production becomes even more sustainable?

One theory is that consumers in the UK must become more aware of the different
species of fish caught within UK waters, by increasing their consumption of these
fish, their value will increase, and fishing will once again become more viable.

Another theory is that fish farming is a growth industry and as the UK has some of
the highest welfare standards globally, the potential to expand sustainable
production should be encouraged. The industry is relatively small in comparison to
other farming operations, but with increasing technological advances and
developments, it is set to become an environmentally friendly option for the more
conscious consumer.