Barra learns knowledge of salmon from the best
Presenter Barra Best has been learning about the iconic Atlantic Salmon from school pupils at the recent ‘Salmon Ambassador’ conference hosted by Loughs Agency.
The conference was the culmination of a five-month primary school education programme that encouraged pupils to learn about their local river system. The programme included a range of activities and topics such as salmon life cycles, migration, conservation, preservation, restoration and the role of Loughs Agency. The school pupils also received regular video updates of live salmonids and watched as the eggs developed, hatched and matured to the fry and parr stage of their life cycle.
Eglinton Primary School Salmon Ambassadors
At the conference, which Barra Best compered, nearly 200 pupils gathered virtually and presented animations, videos, posters and works of art to their fellow Salmon Ambassadors, with each class focusing on a particular life stage. Pupils highlighted the habitat in which the fish live, the food they eat, the natural threats they face and the impact of human activities and waste on their health and survival.
Loughs Agency CEO Sharon McMahon said, ‘the children who participated in Salmon Ambassadors are the next generation of environmentalists, anglers, fishery officers, teachers, scientists and caretakers for the natural world. I hope that Salmon Ambassadors has inspired them to care passionately about our planet and instilled in them the importance of living in balance with nature.’
Loughs Agency initiated Salmon Ambassadors as part of the International Year of the Salmon to help connect young people to the incredible fish that inhabits the Foyle and Carlingford river catchments. For more information on visit the education and engagement section of this website.
Eglinton Primary School Salmon Ambassadors
2021 Salmon Ambassadors – Participating Schools
- St Patrick’s Primary School, Newtownstewart
- St Patrick’s Primary School, Drumgreenagh
- St Pauls Primary School, Slievemore
- Eglinton Primary School, Eglinton
- Killen Primary School, Castlederg
- St Canice’s Primary School, Feeney
- St Olivers Primary School, Co Down