Sixty-two pupils from St Catherine's Church of England Primary School, Launceston, visited Newlyn last week on a fact finding visit organised by Seafood Cornwall Training and sponsored by local fish processor Falfish. The visit was designed to complement classroom studies and bring pupils face to face with where the fish they eat, comes from. The children have been learning all about fishing and seafood as part of the ‘Fish for the Future' unit, developed by Sense of Place.
School children from St Catherine's Primary School with (back right to left) Sarah Crosbie (Seafood Cornwall Training); Mark Greet (Falfish); Andy Wheeler (Cornish Fish producers Organisation) and Patch Harvey (Penlee Lifeboat Coxswain).
The pupils, from school years 2 and 4 (aged from 6 to 9 years old), toured Newlyn fish market where they put their fish identification skills to the test, met fishermen and learnt about the different types of fishing boats in the harbour. They climbed aboard the RNLI Penlee lifeboat for a lesson about safety at sea, before a visit to W Harvey and Sons shellfish tanks where they enjoyed looking at and touching all the different species of shellfish native to Cornwall. Their Sea to Plate experience was finished off appropriately with a tasty and sustainable fish and chip lunch on Newlyn Green.
Inspired by the Sense of Place ‘Fish for the Future unit', the visit was a great success and enabled the children to experience firsthand, some of the lessons they'd learnt in the classroom. It also helped bring to life how the fish they eat is caught, handled and sold.
Sarah Crosbie, Manager of Seafood Cornwall Training, who organised the visit explained, "Bringing children to Newlyn from Cornish schools means they can see, feel and breathe the fishing industry, a key part of Cornwall's heritage and economic future. We adapt each visit to suit the children's needs and if past visits are anything to go by, it's something the children won't ever forget. Thanks to the support received from Falfish we are able to offer four more school visits this term, free of charge and can assist with the associated costs."
Vanessa Currah, a Class 4 teacher at St Catherine's Church of England Primary school, Launceston added, "It was a fantastic morning, the children have been so enthusiastic about the visit. Thanks for a brilliant day, but it's the children themselves, who can tell you what they thought."
Merryn from year 4 commented, "The best thing about our trip was when I could hold the crabs and lobsters. It was really fun and interesting when my group could go on the lifeboat." While Joseph said, "The best thing about our trip to Newlyn was everything, especially when I had to be weighed on the fish market!"
Conner from year 2 commented, "My favourite part of the day was holding the Spider crab, it was very heavy!"while Lucy said, "My favourite part of the day was going in the lifeboat and looking at the engines."
Mark Greet, Falfish Managing Director, commented, "It's really great to see the children enjoy learning about the fishing industry and Newlyn harbour. I am pleased to be able to support this project which encourages Cornwall's school children to come and see what really goes on in the county's fishing industry. Who knows, some of them may be the fishermen, filleters or chefs of tomorrow."
Andy Wheeler from the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation Ltd (CFPO), showed the children around Newlyn and explained, "The CFPO is delighted to be able to support Seafood Cornwall Training in providing these school trips. Coming to Newlyn to learn about fish and fishing is a fun and exciting way for children to reinforce their learning in subject areas such as Maths, Science and Geography as well gaining a greater understanding of where the fish they eat comes from."