Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune In: Fishing stories

15 minutes

Find Out: Recreational fishing and considerations

25 minutes

Take Action: Create a sustainable fishing guide

Tune In: Fishing stories

Step 1

Ask students:

Do you have a fishing story?
What was memorable about this experience?

Some students will not have fishing stories to share. In this case, students might be asked whether they like to eat seafood or not - perhaps they have a story about eating seafood, rather than catching it.

Step 2

Watch or listen to Shroom - it's made by a young person in Sydney and is about their fishing escapades.

Podcast: Shroom Live (radiopublic.com/shroom-live-6pPv0D/s1!ecbd8;)
Youtube: Shroom Fishing (youtube.com/c/ShroomFishing)

Step 3

Having watched or listened to Shroom, ask students:

Why do you think that people like to fish recreationally? Some people might like the connection to nature, strengthening relationships with family and friends or enjoy the mental health benefits.

Step 4

Collect answers and share them with the class.

Explain to students that it is important for recreational fishers to know rules and regulations regarding fishing from ocean and waterways.

Find Out: Recreational fishing and considerations

Step 1

Students enter a new term into their vocabulary banks:

Recreational fishing: Small scale fishing for leisure or competition. Individuals or small groups fish either from the shore or in private boats with rods, reels, lines, hooks and baits or lures.

Step 2

Explain that there are various considerations that recreational fishers need to keep in mind in order to be sustainable. Fishers need to -

Know when the on and off seasons are for the fish they want to catch
Know the size and bag limits for the fish they want to catch
Know the gender limits and reproduction rates of the fish they want to catch

Step 3

Ask students

Where can fishers easily find this information?

Step 4

Show this image - this was taken from a popular fishing site in Queensland. Explain to students that while this particular sign is for freshwater fishing, equivalent signs can also be found in coastal marine fishing sites.

A chart of annotated fish in blue and white.

Explain that Australian states and territories will often have signs like the one above at popular fishing sites - useful! However, as you can see with this example, while the sign mentions ‘legal limits’, it does not specify what they are - not very useful.

Take Action: Create a sustainable fishing guide

Step 1

Working independently in pairs or small groups, ask students to focus on either one sea creature they are interested in (it needs to also be a sea creature that is caught and eaten) - it does not have to be fish! It could be bugs, mud crabs, scallops etc. They must find out -

Size, bag and gender limits for their sea creature
The on and off-season for their sea creature

Extension:

Identify any other sustainability considerations for this species, e.g., restrictions on fishing methods or considerations about reproduction rates.

Step 2

Using the template provided, students create an A4 information sheet containing all of this information in a clear, easy to read manner. They should use colour, different shapes, pictures - make it interesting!

Students could create this by hand using art supplies, or digitally using a digital design platform, such as Canva. You may offer to students that their work can be collated and made into a booklet that recreational fishers can use.

Step 3

As a class, discuss:

Where/how could we distribute these booklets so that they make an impact on the environment and the local community? The local bait shop or newsagent might stock them, or you could organise a day to approach fishers and the pier/beach and hand them out directly.

It’s important to try and act on these suggestions in order to make an impact on the local community and environment, rather than leaving this as just a thought exercise.

Differentiated Learning

We trust that teachers are the best equipped to know how to cater to the diversity in their classes. At Cool Australia, we incorporate a variety of differentiation strategies into each lesson. Firstly, each lesson in this unit appeals to an array of different learning preferences. Learning activities can be completed in a number of different ways - if a student feels more comfortable speaking rather than writing, there are opportunities to accommodate this. In lessons that feature group work or learning stations, we trust that teachers will use their discretion in knowing how to best organise their students in accordance to positive working relationships and ability. Graphic organisers and scaffolds are often included so students can ‘visually think’ and keep a record of their work. While our lessons are designed to be 55 - 60 minutes in length, we trust that teachers will manipulate lesson and segment times according to the needs of their students.

Blueback - How Can We fish Sustainably?

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