Something very fishy about new education trailer
There’s something very fishy about Victoria’s newest education aide and school children across the state will be delighted to hear it.
Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Peter Walsh today officially launched Fisheries Victoria’s freshwater education trailer at Saint Mary’s Primary School in Inglewood.
“The trailer means children from all across the state will have access to education about Victoria’s inland fisheries,” Mr Walsh said.
“Live fish, crays and yabbies will be carried in tanks on the $80,000 trailer and taken to schools to give kids a live fisheries freshwater experience.
“It has its own generator and solar panels and a chilling unit to ensure water in the tanks is kept to the right temperatures for fish like trout and salmon.
“The trailer contains three tanks, one set lower down to give smaller children a chance for a close up look at fish from Victoria’s lakes and rivers.”
Mr Walsh said the sides of the trailer were decorated with life size images of the largest Murray cod ever caught, a 185 centimetre monster weighing 133 kilograms caught in 1902.
Department of Primary Industries Senior Education Officer Julie Murphy said the images provided a graphic and simple answer to the question ‘how big do Murray cod grow?’.
“The freshwater trailer is an addition to the educational programs offered through the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre. It allows us to take our message into the regional areas of Victoria and assist those who may not be able to visit us at Queenscliff,” Ms Murphy said.
Mr Walsh said the 40 students at Saint Mary’s all had a chance to have a good look and to learn about the importance of fishing and fish stocking to Victoria’s environment and to many regional and rural centres that rely on fishing revenue. Last year the Victorian Coalition Government stocked more than 3 million fish into Victorian waters.
“This trailer will be able to get the message about fishing to any school in the state,” Mr Walsh said.
“Fishing is a popular pastime for over 720,000 Victorians and supports regional businesses ranging from hotels to bait and tackle stores.”
