30 Aug 2023
Last week Year 11 Biology was treated to a visit from Rachel Guest and Deepika Satchithananthan from AQUNA Sustainable Murray Cod. They came bearing 10 of their top-quality fish for dissection.
The experiment ties into Year 11s unit on the organisation of living things. Over the past term, the students have been learning about the various systems in the body and the way they interact.
Students were asked to isolate the fish’s digestive and respiratory systems. The fish were dissected with the utmost care with sterile instruments over ice. Though students are usually expected to adhere to some very strict rules whenever they perform a dissection, the reason staff were especially strict during these experiments might have had something to do with the fact that the fish were filleted and cooked by teachers after the lesson.
Rachel and Deepika also spoke about the mechanics of farming the fish. They covered the challenges of providing the fish with adequate oxygen, how the fish are fed, how they’re harvested and how they’re transported. Marine biologist Deepika also spoke about some of the potentially game changing experiments AQUNA are running to further streamline the process of growing Murray Cod.
“It was great having Deepika and Rachel come in to share their industry knowledge,” explains Year 11 Biology teacher Dylan Harmer, “Teaching theory is one thing, but having the students see biology in practice really brings the lesson to life.”
The students will know prepare for their preliminary exams. Special thanks for AQUNA coming in with your fantastic produce.
