SCHOOLS of salmon have been streaming out of classrooms to mark the end of an project in time for the official start of summertime. Year 9 pupils from St Colm’s High and P7s from Oakwood Integrated Primary have been hatching fish eggs for release into their local rivers with the help of the Belfast Hills Partnership.
The salmon in the classroom initiative gives young people a unique opportunity to learn more about the life cycle of Atlantic salmon as well as threats to the species, the impact of pollution and the importance of looking after our rivers.
The project is part of Our Bright Future programme, funded by the Big Lottery and Lottery NI, which aims to reconnect young people to their local environment, inspiring them to learn more about nature and becoming ambassadors for the planet.
The Belfast Hills have numerous small streams which become larger wooded rivers and waterfalls, finally feeding urban rivers down to the River Lagan and Belfast Lough or flow through the wider countryside to Lough Neagh. Many of these rivers are in poor condition due to pollution and invasive species. However, they have a rich heritage which is also undervalued within their local communities.
To combat this issue, the environmental group forged a river awareness project, which aims to reconnect communities with their local waterway, helping people to look after and value them. It also aims to help people see the connections between their local rivers and the Belfast Hills where they find their source, right down to where the river finally flows.
The big release came during science week when the children said goodbye to their salmon that duly swam out into the Derriaghy River, a tributary of the River Lagan that flows from the Belfast Hills, through Belfast and Lisburn and out to sea at Belfast Lough.
The pupils also took part in river dipping using nets to catch freshwater invertebrates they later examined.
Jo Boylan, Youth Outreach Officer for the Belfast Hills Partnership said: “By taking part in this hands-on conservation activity, we hope these pupils will develop a sense of pride in their local river and legacy that will hopefully be passed from generation to generation.
“It has been a brilliant experience for the children involved in the project with the pupils showing so much care and enthusiasm in nurturing their fish."
