Duration: 1 hour
Year Group: 6–12
Cost: $8 per student

The Department of Fisheries is responsible for the sustainable management...

of Western Australia's fisheries, to ensure that we have fish for the future.

In this activity, students learn how the Department of Fisheries manages the marine environment, and how fish dissections provide valuable research information that contributes to making informed management decisions.

Students get the opportunity to complete their own dissection, as well as collecting and recording information about the general biology of their fish. They also learn how to identify the sex of their fish and find out how research on fish gonads is vital in setting recreational fishing rules and regulations.

Did you know… fish have calcium carbonate structures in their heads - called 'otoliths' - that contain growth rings, rather like those found in the trunks of trees. These rings are laid down at regular intervals so, by counting the rings, the age of a fish can be determined.

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