SSACN are very keen to help educate Scottish children about the various species of fish and their natural environments in their local waters. So far our focus has been on the Shark, Skate and Ray species as we have found the children find them the most interesting.
As part of the programme SSACN’s Scottish Shark tagging Programme (SSTP) has been visiting primary schools throughout Scotland running education and awareness events.
All of these have so far included classroom based session, educating the children about the sharks, skates and rays in Scottish waters, …

The Scottish Shark Tagging Programme went along to the Mull Primary School Event, on 6th September 2011.
The event was organised by the Argyll & Bute Beach Forum and in total nine schools attended, with over 110 pupils (P1-7) joining us on a wet and windy day at Craignure Village Hall.
The SSTP carried out four 30 minute workshops where the children had to follow clues and navigate themselves around the grounds of the village hall in a ‘treasure hunt’ style race.
At each station they had to use the ID keys provided …

Now, its all too often the smaller, rural schools that are forgotten about, but the SSTP wants to engage with the children who have marine life and various sharks on their doorstep and may not know it.
Ardchattan primary school lies on the northern banks of Loch Etive, and is run by head teacher Mrs McLarty.
The three P5 pupils, Ellis, Jacob and Gillian, joined project coordinator, Julie Hope and student, Connie Alford for a morning discussing Scottish sharks and rays, highlighting the species that can be found in Loch Etive, showing …

The first educational visit for phase 2 of the Scottish Shark Tagging Programme (SSTP) took place at Park Primary in Oban on Tuesday 13th September 2011.
Project Coordinator, Julie Hope went along with work experience student, Connie Alford for the afternoon to talk to the 11 boys and 11 girls of P5 about sharks, specifically highlighting Scottish sharks as well as the SSTP itself.
Various species of eggcases (kindly supplied by the Shark Trust) were also discussed to help the kids recognise any eggcases they might find on their planned beach clean.
The …

The following is a brief summary of those schools visited during 2010.
Dallintober & Drumlenbull:
An education day was run at each school in association with the GRAB trust. The days were aimed at giving the children knowledge on local species as well as special adaptations of elasmobranches to make them the effective predators they are. Emphasis was also placed on eggcases, what they were and where they came from as both schools were teaming up the following day to do a combined beach clean and eggcase hunt at Machrihannish beach. …