Children Release Fish Nurtured In School With The Help Of The River Stewardship Company And The Equitable Charitable Trust

2nd April 2014

Dozens of fish are being released into a Sheffield river by school children after hatching from eggs in classroom aquariums.

Three Sheffield schools took part in the project funded by the Equitable Charitable Trust and delivered by the River Stewardship Company. Pupils at Fir Vale Pre-School, Pye Bank and Owlerbrook Primary School's have learnt first-hand about the natural world and on Friday 4th April the fish will be released into the River Don at Attercliffe. This week's riverside event will be the culmination of the project during which the pupils have reared the fish from eggs to fingerlings; feeding them daily and monitoring the water conditions (pH/ammonia/temperature) of their aquariums. By taking part in the project has provided an excellent opportunity for young people to learn about the life cycle of fish and what wildlife is found on their doorstep. Hellen Hornby, Community Team Manager at the River Stewardship Company, commented: -This project has been really successful in getting children involved and excited about the environment. They have taken ownership of nurturing the fish in their classrooms and have learnt how important it is that we protect the wildlife in our towns and cities.