To the seashore: Ocean Sciences Cente staff member passionate about bringing ocean to the community
THE STUDENTS tentatively grip their scalpels. The herring lie waiting on the lab tables. “Alright, let’s look at some fish,” calls one of the instructors. They set to work, gently scraping scales from the flesh. “We start on the outside,” says a second instructor, moving from group to group. “Let’s get a good look at the fins, scales, mouth. Then we’ll open it up.”
There are a few giggles and whispers. But by the time they get into the internal organs, the whole room is deep in concentration.
Fish dissection is one of the tasks for these students from Holy Trinity High in Torbay. Before their visit to Memorial University’s Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) is over, they will also identify and classify invertebrates, learn about water quality and marine habitats, and do a training session with the harp seals.