Aquatic Education Strategies of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish

The Aquatic Education Program of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish offers a diverse combination of field and classroom activities that focus on promotion of ethical angling and natural resource stewardship for youth in Alaska.  Students that participate in the program get hands-on experience exploring fisheries science and learning about local aquatic resources. The program caters to the different knowledge and skill levels associated with grades K-12.  Activities include spawning salmon in the field and rearing the eggs in classroom aquariums, learning about salmonid external and internal anatomy with classroom dissections, learning proper fishing techniques including spin and fly casting and how to ethically handle their catch, and much more.  In this presentation I introduce selected activities of the Aquatic Education Program and discuss how each activity strives to establish and foster a life-long enjoyment of angling and fisheries science in the youth of Alaska.