Marine Camp

A group of twenty-seven Year 10 students went to the Woodbridge Marine Centre recently to spend a week learning about the Marine life living in the D’entrecasteaux Channel. This is a part of the Animal Husbandry and Marine Studies elective.

Students stayed at the West Winds Community Centre and participated in a comprehensive four-day program incorporating marine and foreshore ecology. Students went out on the marine vessel RV Penghana to sites in and around the Channel and collected and analysed data, using a variety of sampling and measuring techniques. They learnt about the impact of introduced pest species and the means of addressing these impacts. They did some long line and recreational fishing, for some students this was the first time on a boat or fishing.

Students utilised robotic technology to design, build, test, and evaluate an underwater remote vehicle. Some students studied and sat for their boat licenses. In the evenings despite the bad weather, the group went to the Woodbridge Jetty and fished for salmon and squid.

Here are some of the comments from students:

• ‘I enjoyed spending time with friends while having fun on the boat.’

• ‘I really liked that I got a chance to go fishing, even though I didn’t catch anything it was fun to spend time with friends laughing and freaking out a bit if we got some nibbles on the line.’

• ‘I really enjoyed the touch tank, and it helped me learn about other types of sea creatures I’d never handled before or seen.’

• ‘I enjoyed going out on the boat with my friends and talking to them about how interesting the impact of humans is on the Marine Life in the Channel.’

• ‘The Marine Camp was really enjoyable because it was a great time to learn about Marine Life.’

• ‘I enjoyed that we had the chance to go fishing and learn about Marine Life and that we got to spend time with friends.’

• ‘Sharing study time with my friends and teachers in the evening brought us closer as a group.’

• ‘The food was just amazing – the best ever.’

• ‘Great time to get to know my friends and teachers better.’

Ms Jane Myers - Director of Science K-10