12th Annual Kids' Fish Art Contest Activity Package for Teachers Ontario.ca/fishartcontest Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

Activity Package

Welcome to the Kids’ Fish Art Contest Activity Package for fall 2014. The materials you will find here provide an active, involving way to create a learning unit around the Contest, from an introduction to the value of fish to the final creation of Contest artwork and the related essay. Resource sheets and links provide all the information required, and the activities form a stepwise process from research to sketches to composition studies to final art. Six of the activities are appropriate for all ages, while one is best done by Intermediate and Senior students. The activity sequence is described briefly below. Access each activity by clicking on the title.

Activity 1, Webs and Stacks Word webs are used to illustrate the value of fish to the environment and to people, while the economic worth of sport fish is visualized using a stack of loonies. Students must calculate how high that stack would be. Along the way, students learn about the life and times of the lake trout during Ontario’s recent past. All grades; two reading levels. Activity 2, Know Your Fish! Once the contest is introduced, students research their fish, using Web or other resources and/or point-form resource sheets included in the activity. By the end, students will have most of the information needed for their essay, and a simple yet identifiable line drawing of their fish. All grades.

Activity 3, Fish & Habitat Balance Mobiles* The focus here is on habitat. Students create mobiles which demonstrate the balance of habitat components for each fish, and include the fish created in Activity 2. The required essay can now be completed. All grades; small group work.

Continued…

Page 2 - Introduction to Activity Package

Activity 4, One Person’s Trash (fish)... Students will find that indeed one person’s trash fish is another’s treasure as they attempt to convince anglers that Bowfin are indeed worthy sport fish. Junior/Intermediate/Senior; small group work. Activity 5, Splake Lake Students put on their fisheries management hats in order to figure out where best to stock a unique sport fish. They also discover that protection of the environment and native fish populations are critical factors. Intermediate(with some resource help)/Advanced Intermediate/Senior; small group work.

Activity 6, Sketch Studies* Students learn and apply field sketching techniques to the key characteristics of their fish and its habitat, as they go on a virtual field trip that brings them up close and personal with the fish of their choice. All grades.

Activity 7, Outdoors Card Artwork* Students integrate art and design principles into a series of composition studies, and then into their final contest artwork. All grades.

*Adapted with permission from the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Federal Duck Stamp Office. http://www.fws.gov/juniorduck/

Activity 1 Webs and Stacks

Purpose: To explore the value of fish, both environmentally and economically, to Ontario. Outcomes: Students will be able to describe some of the environmental and economic relationships of Ontario fish, and some of the impacts if those relationships are severed, using lake trout as an example; students will also be able to visualize the economic worth of sport fish to Ontario. Subject: Science, Biology (Ecology), Mathematics Group size: Class Site: Classroom Time: 1 hour plus homework Supplies: Newsprint if desired; copies of resource sheet(s) Before the activity: Copy resource sheets References: See http://www.statefishart.com/lesson.pdf, pg. 8-13, for a brief primer on fish. See http://www.mapcrow.info/ for the distance between any two relatively large cities. See http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/lake-trout-upper-great-lakes for a detailed history of Lake Trout in the upper Great Lakes. See http://www.epa.gov/solec/sogl2009/0008salmontrout.pdf for the status of salmon and trout in all Great Lakes. Continued…

Activity 1- Webs and Stacks Page 2 A QUICK LOOK Students will use word webs, a reading assignment and a math challenge to explore the environmental and economic value of fish to the Province of Ontario. READY, SET, GO! Part A First, ask students for the names of different kinds of animals, and list them on the board or newsprint in the order that they mention them. Chances are, it will be a while before fish or any particular kind of fish comes up. Ask them why that might be, since fish:

• at 400 million years old, are the world’s oldest (and some might argue most successful) vertebrates

• at upwards of 25,000 species worldwide, represent more than half of all animals with backbones; many more, especially from deep sea areas, may be undiscovered

• with over 160 species in Ontario, almost double the number of mammals here. If it doesn’t come up near the top, indicate that it might be because fish are largely an invisible resource, hidden beneath the surface, largely out of sight and out of mind. And that now they are going to "uncover" some things about fish. Note: If fish comes up near the top of the list, ask the person who thought of it why they did. Chances are, it will be because they’re an angler, or keep fish in an aquarium, or just like fish for dinner! At any rate, there is a connection with fish, and if you don’t have it, you might not think of them for the reasons mentioned above. Now, write the word FISH in the middle of the blackboard or a large piece of newsprint. Ask students to brainstorm all the words they can think of that relate to it. Encourage them to explain if the linkage is not obvious. Begin to create a web out of the words provided. Continue until you’ve either run out of words or run out of space. Next, circle related words in the same colour, e.g. descriptive terms (slimy, scaly, slippery, streamlined) in red, ecological/relational terms in green (fish food, water, insects, habitat, energy) and human-related terms in blue (fishing, eating fish, tackle, lures, bait, boats). Continued…

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Page 3 Part B Indicate that they are going to focus on the ecological value of fish by looking at one fish: the lake trout. Read together with the class, or assign as homework, Resource Sheets 1 or 2, depending on their reading level. As they read, have them list or draw all the ecosystem links that contain lake trout, and all the direct or indirect impacts resulting from the loss of lake trout. Once the assignment is complete, summarize their findings on the board in a new web with lake trout in the middle. Highlight the effects of breaking some of those strands. Point out that, while lake trout is an extreme example due to its position as a keystone species in a major lake system, the loss of any fish will have similar, if less obvious, "ripple effects." The last part of the article is a cautionary tale: when we break something in nature, it is sometimes harder than we think to put it back together again! Part C Take another look at the human-related words. Most should relate to either fishing or eating fish. Indicate that while fish are used for oils, dietary supplements, leather, fertilizers and animal feed, fishing for food and/or sport is a primary activity, one that here in Ontario contributes greatly to the provincial economy. In fact, the sport fishery alone, in 2005, was worth over 2.5 billion dollars through sales of supplies, equipment, boats, vehicles and lodging directly or indirectly related to fishing. Now, 2.5 billion of anything is hard to visualize. Challenge your students to imagine a stack of 2.5 billion loonies. How tall would it be, assuming each loonie to be 2 mm thick? (5.0 billion mm) How many km is that? (5000) How far is that from the nearest major city? Take some guesses, e.g., London to Saskatoon, and find out how far that might be on a map or globe. Use the distance website under References to confirm and refine your estimates. How long would it take to drive there, averaging 80 km/hr.? (62.5 hr.) How many years of spending would it take for your loonie stack to circle the earth? (40,000 km circumference/5000 km/year = 8 years) A worksheet is provided (Resource Sheet 3). OTHER IDEAS Challenge your students to come with other ways to creatively visualize $2.5 billion.

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 1 – Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale

Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were once the kings and queens of the Great Lakes fishery. They are considered, biologically, a keystone species:[1] remove it, and the whole system may unravel. And it did. To begin at the beginning, lake trout can be considered a "glacial" fish, well-adapted to the cold meltwaters pouring off the front of glaciers.

During the warmer interglacial periods such as the one we’re in now, lake trout generally retreat to the colder waters of deepwater lakes. As a result, while lake trout are found across Ontario’s quarter- to half-million lakes, they are actually found in less than 1% of them. That 1% includes the Great Lakes, where, at the advent of European settlement, they were the dominant predator, dining on lake herring, chubs (deepwater ciscoes), sculpins, sticklebacks, whitefish, smaller lake trout and a range of invertebrates. Continued…

Researcher holds a 25-year-old wild lake trout from Stannard Rock, Central Lake Superior (United States Geological Survey).

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 1 – Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale Page 2 They are a large (can easily exceed 23 kg; angling record, Lake Superior, over 28.6 kg.), long-lived (commonly 20-25 yr., up to 60), slow-growing, late-maturing (6-7 yr.) char, a relative of the brook trout. Historically, at least 15-20 different forms of lake trout were recognized by commercial fishermen before sea lamprey invaded. These fish differed in where they were found, when they spawned, and in their appearance. They were given such names as blacks, redfins, yellowfins, paper bellies, fats, humpers and sand trout. Today there has been so much interference with wild lake trout as a result of commercial fishing, sea lamprey predation and stocking, that these once recognizable forms are gone, blended into the stocking gene pool or so small and isolated that they are rarely encountered or recognized. Biologists manage lake trout based on two recognized and generally distinct populations: siscowet [2] or deepwater lake trout (> 90 metres) and leans or shallow water (< 90 metres), near-shore lake trout. A lake trout fishery existed in pre-settlement times, and grew with advances in fishing and distribution technologies to a yield of 7.7 million kilograms annually in the Great Lakes. Superior generally yielded about 2.3 million kilograms each year, Lake Huron somewhat more, during the first half of the 20th century. Then the bottom fell out and catches plunged to 10% of original yield in "lucky" Lake Superior and basically nothing in the other Great Lakes. Why? There are at least three reasons:

• Fishing pressure. While yields were relatively steady, fishing pressure was gradually increasing and fishing gear was getting more efficient. Stock densities were falling, and discrete stocks were being wiped out, some nearshore ones even prior to 1900. The very adaptations that had proved so successful - late maturation, slow growth and long life, were of little use and some detriment. Fishing pressure became unsustainable. • Sea lamprey predation. These exotics passed through the newly developed Welland Canal and invaded the upper Great Lakes in sequence, peaking in Huron around 1950 and in Superior 5 to 10 years later. Almost simultaneously, lake trout stocks plunged and lamprey-scarred fish became the rule. Fortunately for Lake Superior, lamprey control methods were developed before populations were wiped out. Huron was not so lucky - only two isolated populations of native lake trout survived in Ontario waters.

Continued…

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 1 – Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale Page 3

• Habitat degradation. Over this same period, the Great Lakes came under pressure from industrial, commercial and residential development. Dredging, siltation, over-fertilization and toxic pollution added to the lake trout’s burden, particularly affecting the "lean" stocks closer to shore. These impacts were less in Huron and Superior than in the other Great Lakes, but were, and still are in some cases, locally significant.

By the 1960s, perhaps the environmental low point in Great Lakes history, the native fish community was in disarray. Lake trout, lake sturgeon and lake herring populations, as well as some other deepwater fish, had collapsed. Heavy recreational and commercial fishing and habitat losses had reduced or eliminated stocks of coaster brook trout and other species. Many small communities on the lake coasts disappeared with the destruction of the fisheries. Deprived of its top predators and beset by increased fishing pressure and an increase in the exotic alewife and smelt, the rest of the fish community began to unravel. Several chubs may have become extinct. Without significant predation, smelt and particularly alewife populations exploded, then suffered periodic die-offs, windrows of dead fish on the shore of some Great Lakes a grim reminder of the invisible problems beneath the waves.

Continued…

Sea lampreys dangling from adult lake trout (United States Geological Survey)

Alewife Die-off (United States Geological Survey)

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 1 – Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale Page 4 Those windrows were also a wake-up call, and people and governments responded. Lamprey were brought under reasonable control. Commercial harvest of lake trout was severely limited or closed. Development issues were, and continue to be, addressed. A series of bi-national Great Lakes Water Quality Agreements began in 1972, greatly reducing the point-source discharge of pollutants into the lakes. The waters began to clear. Pacific salmon, brought in to control smelt and alewife, did just that, and provided a thriving sport fishery, to boot. Once the lakes were stabilized and recovery more than a faint hope, thoughts returned to the once-keystone species. Now, said fisheries managers, is the time to bring back the lake trout. More than 180 million stocked fish later, results are, to say the least, mixed. Lake Superior, impacted the least, responded the best. Stocks native to the lake responded, and reproduced. Today, wild stocks in many parts of the lake are at 90% of pre-crash levels, and in two areas those levels are exceeded. Most of those populations are once again self-sustaining. Only in the southeast are higher than normal h harvests limiting recovery, and their commercial quotas have recently been reduced. The other Great Lakes are another story. After years of significant effort, there is little reproduction of "wild" fish. The reasons for this are likely many, and to some degree synergistic:

• Stocking is an evolving science, and at the time, we just didn’t know enough to properly address a problem as complex as lake trout restoration. • All those discrete lake trout stocks had evolved for a reason: reproductive success of lake trout in each area. The fish were in effect "tailor-made", but many of those stocks have disappeared forever. It will take time to find and test stocks which may be reasonable replacements. • People want fish, and fishing opportunities, now. In responding to these desires, we may not be giving lake trout the opportunity to accumulate the necessary "critical mass" of large spawners. Continued…

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 1 – Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale Page 5

• An undetermined amount of fish is being illegally netted, adding to the fishing pressure (an estimated 5 times the legal catch in some regions). • Lake trout evolved and achieved success in fairly simple biological systems with no direct competitors. They are being reintroduced into lakes now teeming with other large, exotic predators: Chinook and coho salmon, brown and rainbow trout. While lakers do not directly compete with these fish for spawning habitat, they all use the same forage base - one that has been altered significantly since the lake trout was dominant. • A lot of people prefer to fish for the introduced sport fish, and there is pressure to use scarce stocking resources to maintain those fisheries. • General and regional lake conditions may not yet have returned to a level of quality where overall reproductive success is assured.

There is, however, hope for the lake trout in Lake Huron and elsewhere. Stocking issues are better understood. Particular genetic strains are now being assessed for reproductive success. Younger fish are being released on historic, mid-lake, rock rubble spawning shoals in the hope that they will "imprint" on them and return to spawn. Particular areas are being made into refuges, safe from all fishing, to allow uninterrupted recovery. Researchers are delving into the laker’s critical first year of life, and why mortality is so high then. The forage base seems to be evolving back into the native, deepwater herring/chub complex lake trout are best adapted to.

Continued…

Lake trout eggs are placed on Astroturf and bundled into crates for placement on natural spawning reefs. (United States Fish and Wildlife Service)

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 1 – Lake Trout: A Cautionary Tale Page 6 Along the Huron portion of the Great Lakes Heritage Coast, remnant wild stocks in Iroquois Bay, just east of the North Channel, and in Parry Sound are showing progress. In fact, about half of the Parry Sound stock is now wild, and stocking was discontinued in that area in 1997. Increased efforts have begun in controlling lamprey in the St. Mary's River, the last major source of sea lamprey in the Lakes and just upstream of the North Channel. Initial assessments of results are positive, and may open the door to further lake trout restoration along the coast. However, these trout must spawn along rock rubble, nearshore banks, and these areas are sensitive to local impacts. Additional efforts to curb these impacts may be required before wild reproduction succeeds.

The final questions may be: Why lake trout? Are they really that important? Is it enough that they were once there, and are now not because of our actions? Is it enough that they may be the only large predator with the potential for self-sustainability? Is it even sensible to "restore" a species to its original habitat if neither the fish nor the habitat is "original"? The answers may determine whether the social and political will is there to complete the task. _______________________________________________________________ [1] Species whose ecosystem impacts are large, and greater than would be expected from abundance or total biomass; removal changes ecosystem structure and often reduces biodiversity. [2] also called "fat" -- fat helps regulate buoyancy, allowing the trout to easily move up or down

Lake trout egg (United States Geological Survey)

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 2 – A Lake Trout Story Page 1

A Lake Trout Story Lake trout were once the kings and queens of the Great Lakes. They were like a spider at the middle of a web: remove it, and the whole system may unravel. And it did.

To begin at the beginning, lake trout live and grow best in very cold water. When glaciers were near, lake trout were probably found in most Ontario lakes. During warmer periods, such as the one we're in now, lake trout generally retreat to the colder waters of deepwater lakes. As a result, lake trout are found in less than 1% of Ontario's quarter- to half-million lakes (about 4000 or so). But that 1% includes the Great Lakes.

Continued…

Researcher holds a 25-year-old lake trout from central Lake Superior (United States Geological Survey)

When Europeans first came here, lake trout ruled the Great Lakes, dining on other fish, smaller lake trout and a range of aquatic insects and shrimp. They are:

· large (can easily top 23 kg, the average weight for a 7 year-old boy; the angling record, from Lake Superior, is over 28.6 kg),

· can live for a long time (commonly 20-25 years, up to 60), · grow slowly, and mature late for a fish (6-7 years).

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 2 – A Lake Trout Story Page 2 At first, there were at least 15-20 different kinds of lake trout. These fish were different in where they were found, when they spawned (reproduced), and in how they looked. They were named blacks, redfins, yellowfins, paper bellies, fats, humpers and sand trout. Today, most of these fish are gone. Scientists now recognize two types: siscowet or deepwater lake trout [3] found deeper than 90 metres, and leans, or shallow water (less than 90 metres) lake trout. People living near the Great Lakes have always fished for lake trout. Small amounts caught by scattered tribes grew to a yearly catch of 7.7 million kilograms in the Great Lakes. Lake Superior fishers generally caught about 2.3 million kilograms each year, and Lake Huron somewhat more, during the first half of the 20th Century. Then the bottom fell out and catches plunged to 10% of the old amounts in "lucky" Lake Superior and basically nothing in the other Great Lakes. Why? There are at least three reasons:

Fishing pressure While the total catch stayed about the same, more people were catching fish with better and better equipment. Lake trout numbers were falling. The very adaptations that had proved so successful – late maturation, slow growth and long life, meant that populations could not quickly bounce back.

Sea lampreys These new, blood-sucking parasites passed through the Welland Canal (going around Niagara Falls) and invaded the upper Great Lakes, peaking between 1950 and 1960. At the same time, lake trout numbers dropped, and most of the trout left had lamprey scars. Lamprey control methods were developed before populations were wiped out in Lake Superior, but Huron was not so lucky - only two isolated populations of native lake trout survived in Ontario waters. Habitat problems. Over this same period, the actions of people hurt the Great Lakes. Digging out ship channels and canals spread mud and silt over the bottom. Sewage and fertilizers made the wrong kind of plants and animals grow, and toxic pollution poisoned the lake trout, in particular the "lean" stocks closer to shore.

Continued…

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 2 – A Lake Trout Story Page 3

Left: Sea lamprey clings to an adult lake trout. Right: Alewife die-off (United States Geological Survey)

By the 1960s, the native fish community was in tatters. Lake trout, lake sturgeon and lake herring populations, as well as some other deepwater fish, had collapsed. Heavy recreational and commercial fishing and habitat losses had reduced or eliminated stocks of many shallow-water species. With no fish left to catch, many small communities on the lake coasts disappeared. Without its top predators the rest of the fish community began to unravel. Several chubs may have become extinct. With nothing to eat them, smelt and alewife populations [4] would explode and then die off from low temperatures or lack of food, leaving piles of dead fish on the shore of some Great Lakes. Those fish piles were also a wake-up call, and people and governments responded. Lamprey were brought under reasonable control. Commercial fishing for lake trout was severely limited or closed. Development issues were, and continue to be, addressed. A series of water quality agreements greatly reduced pollution. The waters began to clear. Pacific salmon, brought in to control smelt and alewife, did just that, and provided a thriving sport fishery to boot. Once the recovery of lakes began, thoughts returned to the former king of the lakes. Now, said fisheries managers, is the time to bring back the lake trout. More than 180 million fish have been stocked with mixed results. Superior, with fewer problems than any other lake, responded the best. Stocks native to the lake began to reproduce, and increase. Today, wild trout in many parts of the lake are at pre-crash levels. Most of those populations can once again thrive without help. Only in the eastern part of the lake are numbers below normal, and some fish are still stocked there. Continued…

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 2 – A Lake Trout Story Page 4 In Lake Huron, lake trout have been increasing in the main part of the lake since 1998, because of sea lamprey control efforts and new catch limits. In addition, invasive alewife numbers are down and native lake cisco numbers are up in some locations, and they are better food for lakers. Chinook salmon compete with lake trout for food, and their numbers have also gone down. As a result, 40% of a growing lake trout population sampled by MNR in 2010 were wild fish, not stocked. In Georgian Bay, wild stocks are increasing near Parry Sound, and stocking stopped in that area in 1997. However, lake trout are declining in other parts of Georgian Bay in spite of stocking and other efforts to increase the population. These trout must spawn along nearshore, rock rubble banks, and these areas are sensitive to local impacts. Additional efforts to curb these impacts may be required before wild reproduction succeeds. In Lake Ontario, Lake Trout are not reproducing enough to reduce significant levels of stocking. So while there has been some success in lake trout rehabilitation, Dave Gonder, an MNR biologist states, "It’s kind of a balancing act right now. We don’t really know what the future holds." The may be many reasons for this, and they may affect one another:

• We may still not know enough to properly address a challenge as complex as bringing back lake trout.

• All those forms of lake trout had evolved for a reason: the ability to reproduce well in each specific area. But many of those forms are gone. It will take time to find and test forms which may be reasonable replacements.

• People want to fish now. In trying to meet these needs, we may not be leaving lake trout alone long enough to build up the number of large spawners needed to increase populations.

Continued…

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 2 – A Lake Trout Story Page 5

• An unknown number of fish are being illegally netted, adding to the fishing pressure (an estimated 5 times the legal catch in some regions).

• Lake trout ruled in fairly simple biological systems with no direct competitors. They are being reintroduced into lakes now teeming with other large, exotic predators: Chinook and coho salmon, brown and rainbow trout. While lakers do not directly compete with these fish for spawning habitat, they all have to eat the same food - food that is very different than when lake trout was the boss.

• A lot of people prefer to fish for the introduced sport fish, and there is pressure to stock more of those than lake trout.

• Lake quality may not be good enough yet for healthy populations of lake trout. • The lakes continue to change, in part due to invasion by zebra and quagga mussels,

which have decreased the quality of historic laker spawning reefs, and reduced the amount of plankton that can be eaten by young lake trout. Another invader, the round goby, eats lake trout eggs and fry.

There is, however, hope for the Great Lakes lake trout. We are getting better at picking successful types, or strains, of fish. Younger fish are being released on historic, mid-lake, rock rubble spawning shoals in the hope that they will "imprint" on them and return to spawn. Particular areas are being made into refuges, safe from all fishing. Researchers are looking into the laker's critical first year of life, and why so many die then. The food supply seems to be changing back into the types of fish lake trout like best. The final questions may be: Why lake trout? Are they really that important? Do we owe them a new chance because of our actions? Is it enough that they may be the only large predator that may be able to hold its own without our help? Is it even sensible to "restore" a species to its original habitat if neither the fish nor the habitat is "original"? The answers may determine whether the social and political will is there to complete the task. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Footnotes: [3] also called "fat" – more fat makes the fish lighter in water, allowing the trout to more easily move from deeper to shallower water [4] smelt and alewife are two fish that were introduced by accident to the Great Lakes.

Activity 1 – Webs and Stacks Resource 3 – Loonie Stack Worksheet Loonie Stack Worksheet

Ontario anglers spend over 2.5 billion dollars every year

directly or indirectly related to fishing.

If you made $2.5 billion into a stack of loonies, how high would it reach?

Number of dollars x thickness of a loonie = height

2,500,000,000 x 2mm = mm

mm / mm/km = km

How long would it take to drive that far, averaging 80 km/hr.?

km / 80 km/hr. = hours

How many years of spending would it take for your loonie stack to circle the earth?

Distance around the earth = 40,000 km

Distance around the earth / height of loonie stack each year = number of years

40,000 km / km/year = years

Activity 2 Know Your Fish!

Purpose: To learn enough about one Ontario fish to produce an identifiable line drawing of it, and understand something of its life history. Outcomes: Students will be able to draw one of two Ontario fish, splake or bowfin, including key characteristics which identify that fish; they will also be able to describe the habitat and some of the behaviours of that fish. Subject: Science, Biology, Visual Arts, Language (Reading) Group size: Class Site: Classroom Time: 45 minutes plus research time Supplies: Card stock, drawing tools, scissors, Resource Sheets (optional) Before the activity: Copy resource sheets if required References: Resource Sheets 1, 2 & 3 A QUICK LOOK Students research their fish prior to producing a line-drawing cutout to be used in Activity 3. READY, SET, GO! Introduce the Kids’ Fish Art Contest to the students, using the information from the flyer or the web page (http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/kids-fish-art-contest ). Indicate that the winner of this contest – a fish painted or drawn by an elementary or secondary student, will be used on the 2015 Young Angler's Licence, a fun, free, promotional licence that reminds kids about their responsibilities when fishing. Thousands will be distributed across the province. Continued…

Activity 2 - Know Your Fish! Page 2 One key to a good wildlife drawing is knowing the subject matter well – not only how it looks, but how it acts and where it lives. This information is also required for the essay that must accompany each image. Point out that students will now “research” their fish using their own resources, the web resources listed on Resource Sheet 3, or the fact sheets on Resource Sheets 1 and 2. You can decide what level of research you want your students to pursue. Students may choose their fish first, or choose their fish after doing some of the research. The essay must match the fish that they draw. Once the research is done, ask the students to do an outline drawing of their fish on card stock that is 7.5 – 10 cm (3 – 4 in.) long. Instruction on drawing a basic trout outline can be found at http://www.wedrawanimals.com/how-to-draw-a-trout/ . The drawing should show the key features that distinguish and identify their fish. Colour is optional. Once the drawings are done, have the students cut out their fish, and make sure that features are drawn on both sides. Indicate that their fish will be used in the next activity.

Outline of a trout ______________________________________________________________ Handout masters: Resource Sheet 1: Splake Resources Sheet 2: Bowfin

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 1 – Splake

Illustration by Curtis Atwater Splake Scientific Name: Salvelinus fontinalis x Salvelinus namaycush Salvelinus is an old name for char; fontinalis means living in springs, and namaycush is a First Nations term for lake trout. Splake are a hybrid between brook trout (or speckled trout) and lake trout, where lake trout eggs are fertilized with brook trout sperm. The result is a faster growing fish intermediate in characteristics between the parent stocks. Although wild splake may occasionally reproduce, spawning success is rare, and almost all splake are stocked in Ontario and elsewhere. In 2012, over 600,000 yearling splake were stocked into over 250 lakes across the province. Splake are very useful in fish management programs because:

• They can tolerate slightly poorer environmental conditions than either brook or lake trout, increasing the number of trout lakes.

• They grow more quickly than either parent. • They compete better with other fish than brook trout, suppressing, in particular,

populations of perch that may have become stunted in the absence of a predator. • They take some fishing pressure off native brook and lake trout populations. • Some fight like brook trout, while others fight like lake trout; they are considered

easier to catch by some. • Since natural reproduction is not an issue, population size is easier to manipulate

through stocking.

Continued…

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 1 – Splake page 2 Description

• Medium sized, slightly deep-bodied fish. • Back green to dark brown, sides lighter, belly is white • Vermiculated patterns on backs, which change to yellow spots on sides; males can

have a fainter blue halo around spots than brook trout, and pink rather than red spots in the centre

• Male spawning colour typically bright orange on fins and belly • Has adipose fin • Generally intermediate between brook and lake trout; precise identification requires

dissection. Similar to

• Brook trout • Lake trout

Key Identifying Features • Slightly deep-bodied fish • Intermediate between brook trout and lake trout • Tricoloured fins • Light spots on dark background, some red/pink spots but mostly lacking the blue halo

of brook trout • Slightly forked tail (not usually deeply forked like the tail of a lake trout) • The only way to positively distinguish splake is to count the pyloric caeca (finger-like

projections of the intestine): splake (65 to 85); brook trout (23 to 55); lake trout (93 or more)

Continued…

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 1 – Splake page 3 Size

• Average length: 25-46 cm (10-18 in); typical weight: 0.45-1.36 kg (1-3 pounds) • Ontario record: length -- 88.9 cm (35 in.), weight – 9.4 kg (20.7 lb.), girth – 59.2 cm (23.3

in), Georgian Bay (also the world record). Distribution and Habitat

• Splake (also known as wendigo) have been stocked in much of Ontario, in small lakes (50 - 100 ha) that have marginal habitat for either lake trout or brook trout.

• Water temperature is a key factor in determining splake habitat. Like both their parents, splake need a year-round supply of cold, clear water, but can generally tolerate less desirable habitat like low pH waters.

• Splake prefer relatively shallow water during spring and fall, holding near the thermocline in 10-16°C temperatures in the summer, generally at depths of 6.1-10.7 m (20-35 ft.), and ranging widely in winter.

• Splake like nearby depths to escape to, so look along shorelines, shoals and point extensions near deep water in spring and fall.

• Often show schooling behaviour. Food

• Juveniles: insect larvae, other invertebrates. • Adults: smaller fish, fish eggs.

Predators

• On young: larger fish, including splake; kingfisher, osprey, herons.

• On adults: lake trout (on smaller adults) • Numerous parasites. • Humans.

Splake range modified from

Mandrak and Crossman, 1962

Continued…

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 1 – Splake page 4 Reproduction

• Spawning success is very rare outside hatcheries. • Reproduction generally begins at 3 years old. • Prefer to spawn over gravel seepage shoals like brook trout, but in their absence will

use boulder shoals similar to lake trout; occasionally compete with brook trout for spawning areas.

• Females create rudimentary nests (redds), clearing away debris and silt, if any, before allowing fertilized eggs to drop into the cracks among the gravel or rocks.

• Fall spawning, with the peak usually in late October or early November. • A single female will mate with a single male, but both may repeat the process with

other partners. • When spawning is done, nests are abandoned.

Management Tips

• Do not move splake to other lakes or streams. • Ensure that fishing limits and opportunities are in line with populations; respect

fishing regulations. • Protect habitat and habitat quality. • Protect and rehabilitate riparian zones to prevent erosion and pollutant run-off. • Use "best management practices" with respect to urban and rural development,

agriculture, forestry, and other industry. • Ensure that septic tanks are not faulty. • Reduce hard surfaces such as concrete near water bodies that results in increased

water run-off. • Collect long-term data to help monitor the health of aquatic communities, and identify

and address problems.

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 2 – Bowfin

Bowfin Scientific Name: Amia calva Amia is an ancient name for a fish; calva means smooth, a reference to the bowfin’s scaleless head. An ancient, bony fish related most closely to the alligator gar, bowfin are secretive ambush predators with a mouthful of teeth and a nasty disposition. While they fight hard, they can mash up lures and cut lines, and their soft, pasty flesh is hardly reward for most anglers. "Most" because they do have a dedicated following. However, their reputation is generally unappealing, or unknown. They do have value, though, helping to control forage fish populations, and game fish so that they don’t stunt themselves through overpopulation. Bowfin also have a swim bladder that acts as a lung and its gills won’t collapse when exposed to air. The fish can survive low oxygen levels by gulping air, and survive for over 24 hours out of the water in damp environments. Bowfin look similar to two other fish: burbot, a native, and Northern snakehead, an invasive species that is not yet in Ontario waters, but nearby. Selling live snakehead is prohibited in Ontario, but some may still be making their way into the live food trade. Anglers need to take care in identifying their catch (see below), so that invaders aren’t accidentally released or natives removed unnecessarily. Continued…

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 2 – Bowfin page 2

Description

• Large, elongate and round, like a cylinder. Long dorsal fin. • Rounded caudal (tail) fin. • Back and upper sides mottled olive-green; pale green on belly. • Dark spot near caudal fin more prominent in juveniles and males. • Dorsal and caudal fins are green, with darker bands or bars; lower fins bright green. • Barbel at each nostril on scaleless head. • Lots of small, sharp teeth.

Similar to

• Burbot • Northern snakehead

Key Identifying Features

• Scaleless head; snakehead has enlarged scales. • Single, long dorsal fin; burbot has two dorsal fins, one short, one long. • Short anal fin; others have long anal fins. • Bony plate on underside of head; others have no plate. • No barbel on chin; burbot has chin barbel. • Visual comparisons of the three fish here.

Size

• Adult length: 38.1-68.6 cm (15-27 in.); maximum 109 cm (42.9 in.); Ontario record 83.5 cm (32.9 in.)

• Adult weight: 0.6-3.3 kg (1.3-7.3 lb.); maximum 9.9 kg (21.8 lb.); Ontario record 6.85 kg (15.1 lb.)

Continued…

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 2 – Bowfin page 3 Distribution and Habitat

• Swampy, vegetated bays and oxbows of clear, warm rivers and lakes (28-32°C/82-90°F preferred)

• Linger along vegetation margins, in undercut banks and around submerged branches • May be in pools below faster water • Primarily found in southern Ontario

Food

• Juveniles: insects and plankton; small fish. • Adults: fish, crayfish, frogs, mollusks and

aquatic insects. • Primarily a night feeder in shallow water.

Predators

• Larger bowfin, but little else. • Many parasites. • Humans.

Reproduction Distribution of bowfin in Ontario

• Spawning occurs primarily in May-June at 16-19 °C (61-66°F). • Male clears vegetation from a circular mat and spawning occurs with one or more

females. • Egg production ranges from 3000 to 100,000 per female. • Males guard eggs and hatched young to about 10 cm (4 in.) in length.

Management Tips

• Promote bowfin as a valuable member of the aquatic ecoysytem. It may save them from being needlessly harassed or killed.

• Protect habitat and habitat quality, particularly wetlands. • Minimise the potential for invasive species introductions; where possible reduce the

impact of existing invasives. • Use "best management practices" for lake health with respect to urban and rural

development, agriculture, forestry, and other industry.

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 3 – Web Resources page 1

Web Resources - Splake http://members.shaw.ca/amuir/splake.html (Good general information, plus more on history and genetics; contains précis of longer literature review article cited last below)

http://www.saultstar.com/2014/03/15/fabulous-fish-play-vital-role-in-taking-pressure-off-native-brook-and-lake-trout-populations (mostly value of splake in the context of ice fishing; newspaper article)

https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/splake (basic information and distribution map; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splake (basic history and value)

http://www.ontarioanglerawards.com/Downloads/FactSheets/Splake.pdf (basic information; easy to read text)

http://www.saultstar.com/2014/03/07/these-welcome-additions-to-northern-ontario-waters-might-be-hybrids-but-theyre-thoroughbreds-through-and-through-when-it-comes-to-their-quality-as-game-fish (more information than fishing; good detail; newspaper article)

http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/species/identification/splake.htm (good illustration, general information and history of splake in Maine; Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife)

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=940 (map of introduced range in U.S., and impacts)

http://www.bouldermountainguide.com/brookie-splake-comparison (excellent visual and written comparison of splake and brook trout characteristics)

http://www.igfa.org/species/231-splake.aspx?CommonName=231-splake.aspx (brief but useful information and illustration; International Game Fish Association)

http://www.sportingjournal.com/main87.shtml (argument for stocking splake in Maine; magazine article)

http://www.ontariofishes.ca/fish_detail.php?FID=105 (Basic, tabular information, photo and distribution map; bibliography; private)

Activity 2 – Know Your Fish! Resource 3 – Web Resources page 2

Web Resources - Bowfin http://www.sheddaquarium.org/blog/2012/August/Jazzin-Instrumentals-Bowfin/ (Great Lakes focus, easy read; Shedd Aquarium)

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Amia_calva/ (more detailed information; also images and classification; Animal Diversity Web) http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/home/Default.aspx?tabid=605&FishID=24 (basic information; short; bowfin/burbot comparison; Wisconsin Sea Grant) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowfin (basic information, referenced; classification and pictures; Wikipedia) http://www.bowfinanglers.com/bowfininfo.html (good, basic, easy-to-read information nested in praise for the bowfin; includes fishing tips; Bowfin Anglers’ Group) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Bowfin/Bowfin.html (information, distribution map and several photos, including habitat; Florida Museum of Natural History) http://fishandboat.com/pafish/fishhtms/chap8.htm (basic,easy-to-read information; Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission) http://fishing.about.com/od/bowfinandgar/a/aa072197.htm (the darker side of bowfin fishing) http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=305 (U.S. distribution map and introductions; USGS) http://www.ontariofishes.ca/fish_detail.php?FID=10 (Basic, tabular information, photo and distribution map; extensive bibliography; private) http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/seagrant/GLWL/Fish/bowfin/bowfin.html (Minimal information, but links to other sites and images; includes bowfin/snakehead comparison; Great Lakes Sea Grant.) http://hatch.cehd.umn.edu/research/fish/fishes/bowfin.html (Good, basic information for young readers; photos; Univ. of Minnesota). http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/77506.html (Information, negative image and value; N.Y. Dept. of Env. Conservation) http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-bowfin.pdf (Easy read in question/answer format; bowfin/snakehead differences; Indiana Division of F & W) http://www.hookhack.com/html/fom010111bowfin.html (Good visual of key id characteristics; private)

Activity 3 Fish & Habitat Balance Mobiles

Purpose: To explore the habitats of splake and bowfin, and reproduce those habitats in the form of a mobile. Outcomes: Students will be able to manipulate form and shape to create a mobile illustrating the need to balance basic components in an ecosystem. Subject: Visual Arts, Science, Biology Group size: Class; groups of 4 or 5 Site: Classroom Time: 60 minutes plus research time Supplies: visual images of contest fish in their habitat, and fish habitat components from any source; construction paper of several colours, found materials, scissors, glue, stiff wire or short sticks, 12 – 24 cm (5 – 10 in.) long, 6 – 8 or more per group. References: Existing photography or basic drawings showing appearance and habitat components (note that habitat references for these two fish are somewhat lacking), e.g.: Splake:

• http://www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing/species/identification/images/splake.jpg • http://www.fishexplorer.com/MiscImg/492009-28%5EsplakeC.jpg • http://www.igfa.org/images/SpeciesID_Images/splake.png • http://www.hgsitebuilder.com/files/writeable/uploads/hostgator114687/image/brookiesplakeco

mp-9-640-w.jpg (tail comparison with brook) • http://www.igiardinidellacqua.com/images/content/splake%203.jpg • http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000PVitTbLLo68/s/650/650/Splake-T-25.jpg • http://www.ontariofishes.ca/graphics/082.jpg

Continued…

Flying fish by Alexander Calder (by permission of the Calder Foundation: http://www.calder.org

Activity 3 – Fish & Habitat Balance Mobile Page 2 Bowfin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lfCA7Vi-bk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3R0c5n7ZBo http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/cek7/nyfish/Amiidae/bowfin.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Bowfin_fish_image.jpg http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/bowfin-with-fry-barbara-hart.jpg (with fry) http://www.vernonweb.com/bowfin2.gif http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/images/inland_species/bowfinbig.jpg http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/bowfin-amia-calva-swims-the-murky-michael-wood.jpg http://www.kentuckyawake.org/files/plantsWildlife/bowfin-wetlandSlough.jpg http://www.fws.gov/eddies/episodeSpring2013/american_fishes/images/BOWFIN-MG4%205in.jpg http://www.karenglaserphotography.com/images/springs/glaser012_bowfincfish.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEQdrwOoSJk/TeHfIexKbhI/AAAAAAAAA2A/rffzwh-7Y-k/s1600/18c.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/40626436@N00/2764556939 https://www.flickr.com/photos/44034115@N08/12679683075 https://www.flickr.com/photos/44034115@N08/8017682698 Bowfin/Snakehead comparisons: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/snakehead_bowfin.phtml http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KR6sFhiuhAg/UNrt0pPUemI/AAAAAAAARjQ/y3a3UqaawMY/s1600/Snakehead_Bowfin.JPG http://cbshartford.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/bowfin-and-snakehead-courtesy-deep.jpg Continued…

Activity 3 – Fish & Habitat Balance Mobile Page 3 A QUICK LOOK Students will further research the habitat requirements of either splake or bowfin and in groups create a habitat mobile that contains both specific habitat elements and their outline drawings from Activity 2. READY, SET, GO! Hold a general discussion with students about mobiles – moving works of art that are created by suspending and balancing shapes. The first mobile was created by an American artist, Alexander Calder, who experimented with combinations of shapes and weights balancing each other. Calder also discovered that the suspended objects move in a rotating fashion due to air currents. Explain that students will be creating "fish habitat" mobiles that incorporate important elements of their fish’s habitat. Review the components of habitat – food, water, shelter and space (physical components such as rocks, logs, etc.). Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5, making sure that all students in each group have drawn the same fish. Review what they’ve already learned about the habitat of their fish from their research in Activity 2. Determine whether additional research is necessary. If so, allow students time to conduct it (individually or in their groups). Point out that it might be difficult to visualize specific fish habitat and how all the parts fit together, since few of us spend much time looking around in it. Provide copies of existing art or photography showing habitat for each fish, or post it on-screen if computers or smartboards are immediately available. Look for common components that indicate major or important habitat features, and how the preferred habitats of the two fish appear to differ. Tell students that they will now create a physically well-balanced mobile to depict the specific habitat of their chosen fish. Continued…

Fish habitat wire sculpture by Alexander Calder, work that led to mobiles (by permission of the Calder Foundation: www.calder.org)

Activity 3 – Fish & Habitat Balance Mobile Page 4 Tell students that they will now create a physically well-balanced mobile to depict the specific habitat of their chosen fish. Have each group create a common list of all the habitat components they wish to include in their mobile. Distribute old fishing magazines, scissors, found materials and other drawing or sculpture materials. Have each group use or create images to represent the varied items their fish needs to survive. If necessary, mount items on poster board. Students should prepare their fish for the mobile by making a small hole near the dorsal fin. Note that they need to place the hole carefully in order to get the balance right. A second hole and a "triangle" of monofilament may be used to correct major imbalances. Bowfin are most often found in shallow, warm water with abundant vegetation, and may hang close to some sort of lake or river structure like tree stumps or snags. Fish should be isolated. In the spring and fall, splake like to hang out just off shorelines, shoals and points with access to deeper water. In summer they prefer deeper water near the thermocline. Fish may be loosely grouped. Have groups begin with the shorter lengths of wire or wood at the bottom of the mobile and progress to the longer lengths at the top. Balance each section as it is assembled. Each length can contain a single object at both ends, or a single object on one end balanced with a shorter balanced wire containing two objects on the other end. When mobiles are completed, have students hang them where they can catch air currents. Explain that the most important aspect of the habitat mobile is that it is well-balanced, just as healthy ecosystems must be well-balanced. Ask students to describe what they think will happen if one element of the mobile is removed. Ask them to describe how balance or imbalance of their habitat mobile relates to the health of ecosystems. Students should now be able to complete their contest essays. OTHER IDEAS: Make a class display of your habitat mobiles for the school. Have your students explain their mobiles to younger classes. Please send digital images of your best mobiles to us at jeff.standaert@ontario.ca.

Activity 4 One Person's Trash (Fish)…

Purpose: To communicate the value of bowfin to others, while internalizing that value individually, and learning some basic advertising principles. Outcomes: Students will be able to create an effective advertisement/YouTube video extolling the virtues of bowfin to their key audience, the anglers of Ontario, and effectively present it or promote it on YouTube. Subject: Science, Biology, Drama, Language Group size: 4-6 students/group Site: Classroom; sites of choice for any videos Time: 45 minutes plus research and presentation time Supplies: Resource Sheets, voice recorders/video cameras (optional), additional materials required for ad or video (students’ choice) Before the activity: Copy resource sheets if required References: Activity 2, Resource Sheets 2 & 3; Resource Sheets 1 and 2 A QUICK LOOK Students discover that bowfin have a rather unsavoury reputation among some anglers. In small groups, students will then research the various values of bowfin (intrinsic, ecological, biodiversity, human use), and use that information to create an advertisement (print, radio, video) focused on changing the minds of those anglers. The ads can be performed or posted on YouTube. If posted, efforts should be made to create a wide audience for their videos, as well as reaching out to the angling community specifically. Continued…

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish) Page 2 READY, SET, GO! Post the phrase, "One person’s trash is another person’s treasure." Discuss the meaning of the phrase, taking examples from the class. Indicate that the bowfin, one of the fish in the Kids' Fish Art Contest, is a trash/treasure fish. Read Resource Sheet 1 to the class, or have students read it themselves. Explain that it was put together from several sources and could be representative of many anglers. If students have been researching the bowfin for Activity 2, ask for other reasons why bowfin may be considered a ‘trash fish‘ (rough or coarse fish are other names for fish anglers don’t like to catch). Possible reasons include their odd appearance; their occurrence in warm, ‘swampy’ water that may have an odour when stirred up; their mouthful of teeth; their nasty disposition; limited knowledge of how to catch and prepare them; or, their reputation as a voracious predator of smaller fish that could instead be food for more popular muskie, bass or walleye. Ask if wasting fish on the bank is proper behaviour in any case. Indicate that, since no native or naturalized species should be wasted or removed without due cause, their task, in groups of 4-6, is to convince anglers who do not like or respect bowfin to at least leave them alone or return them to the water, or at best, fish for them as a proper Ontario sportfish. Since it would be too hard to introduce each angler to bowfin personally, they are to come up with an advertisement in print, audio or video format that extols the virtues of bowfin. They can choose to use any reason, or combination of reasons, for saving and/or promoting bowfin, understanding that an effective ad is going to be relatively short and focused. They may also choose YouTube as a format, and upload their videos. They can use any resources from Activity 2 or Resource Sheet 2, or additional web research, and need to be aware of proper advertising approaches, what makes a good YouTube video, and ways to extend the reach and life of their uploaded videos, should they choose to do so. Provide enough in- or out-of-class time for the groups to research and produce their ads/videos, and view them in-class before the whole group. The class should then choose the best messages, and find ways to reach out to local anglers in areas where bowfin occur, using YouTube or other methods. You might want to contact a local angling club and get them involved in your project. Contact the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters for help in finding a club near you.

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish)… Resource 1 – …Another Person's Treasure Page 1

Picture yourself beside a nice, weedy backwater in Southern Ontario. You notice an undercut protected by a few branches, and flip your favourite bass popper in there, looking for that largemouth bass. A few twitches, and BAM! Something roils out and takes your lure. You set the hook and the line reels, twists and jerks and you’re thinking, from the size of the fight, that this might be the biggest bass that you ever caught. Maybe even a record of some sort! Minutes later, the fish is tiring, and you begin to reel in. You can see nothing in the murk stirred up by the fight. You finally fish around with your net and...out pops a two pound (0.9 kg) bowfin, still mashing on your now not-so-lovely lure. Disappointment reigns. The bowfin looks back, seemingly with the same expression. And now you have to get past those teeth to extract your lure. Luckily you have some pliers, and you finally remove the now useless lure as the fish continues to thrash, seemingly gulping air. As you suck on a finger gashed on those teeth, you contemplate just throwing the thing into the bushes. You’ve heard that they taste terrible, and might be eating some of those bass that you like to catch... Well, you would probably not be alone. Here are some comments about or from anglers who have tangled with Mr. Bowfin: "Reviews regarding the flesh of the bowfin range from "soft and pasty" to "passably palatable…" "They are known regionally by a variety of common names- dogfish, mudfish, grindle, ling, and lawyer-all suggestive of their status as a fish people love to hate." "soft sorry fish" -- John Lawson, English botanist, 1709 "...the alleged reason for the application of the name 'lawyer' is that it will bite at anything and is good for nothing when caught. Another party states that these ornery customers are called lawyers because they are bull-headed and slippery." "Their slime is poison - don't even touch them!" (myth) Continued…

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish)… Resource 1 – …Another Person's Treasure Page 2 "The bowfin is wholly carnivorous, and exceedingly voracious....He is the ravening wolf of the dark lagoons, the nightmare of the slumbrous coves. Skulking in deep water by day, he invades the teeming shallows by night, spreading terror and bloody execution in his wake." "Don’t know why people think so little of the bowfin, or how people can shoot them one after another, and throw a cool fish like that in a pile to rot. What a waste!" "I asked someone how to cook my trophy and that was the first time I heard about "planking" a fish. That is the method where you nail a bowfin to a plank, roast it over an open fire, throw away the fish and eat the plank." "They will hit just about anything and can destroy a crankbait or spinnerbait. I'm sure they are good for something, I just don't know what." "...a Frankenstein of fish, and a creature which is so unpredictable, and so ferocious in battle that more often than not it leaves anglers scratching their heads in awe at their broken steal leaders, busted reel gears, and crushed hard plastics." "My Grandfather used to say, "you gotta slit their throats". In my neck of the woods, common practice was crushing and throwing them onto the banks." "I think it really wanted to hurt me. After I got it in the boat, it just went limp, and then when I was about to release it, the thing slashed its head around and tried to bite me." "31 inch 13 pound bowfin, better known as dogfish. Largest and yet most worthless thing I’ve ever caught." "While not quite as unpopular as the snakehead, catching this guy doesn’t excite many local fishermen. It’s more like, "oh blank, another blankety-blanking choupique." "My personal best (or would it be worst) is about 6-pounds. I say about, because I don’t want to desecrate my ice chest and drag the slimy things to a scale." "The best way to describe [the taste] was warm, wet cotton with barbecue sauce. The more you chewed, the more there was." Continued…

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish)… Resource 1 – …Another Person's Treasure Page 3 "The dogfish/bowfin is considered a TRASH fish and should be eliminated whenever possible. They consume a tremendous amount of other gamefish, not just little gills and perch. There is a reason that there is not a LIMIT on this trash fish. Just like the carp, garpike etc...it should be tossed ashore for the benefit of other species like coons, skunks, opossums, bears, birds etc..."

Dead bowfin on shore during the severe drought in the U.S. Midwest, 2012. (Photo credit: Jim Avelis, Indiana Smallmouth Alliance)

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish)… Resource 2 – Web Resources Web Resources Fish & Wildlife Values http://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D510.PDF international focus; extensive http://www.hww.ca/en/issues-and-topics/benefits-of-wildlife.html extensive, Canadian-focused http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1692 biodiversity values http://www.globalissues.org/issue/169/biodiversity several articles on biodiversity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsic_value_%28animal_ethics%29 intrinsic value related to animals http://redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/Qbp/2.About%20Biodiversity/importance.html Importance of biodiversity, including intrinsic and anthropomorphic values Fishing Methods Note: unlike gar, bowfin are not that difficult to catch (some might say too easy), but handling them and removing hooks does require special equipment and techniques. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGyCB93-FCw basic fishing techniques and location; bowfin caught at 6:45 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObIZs40RQkc good, specific information by a young angler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCs8MwTc--4 Ontario-based feature for fishing show by professional; includes information on fish (4 parts) http://www.livestrong.com/article/152830-bait-use-bowfin-fishing/ Baits and rigging http://www.trails.com/how_10042_catch-bowfin.html basic technique http://fishing.answers.com/how-to/catching-a-bowfin-fish simple steps http://www.bowfinanglers.com/tips.html extensive information on catching and handling bowfins Continued…

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish)… Resource 2 – Web Resources page 2

Cleaning/Cooking Methods http://www.ehow.com/how_8510383_clean-bowfin.html cleaning and scaling http://www.bowfinanglers.com/recipes.html recipes http://www.foothilltech.org/rgeib/english/media_literacy/advertising_techniques.htm cajun-style bowfin cakes Basic Advertising Methods

http://www.foothilltech.org/rgeib/english/media_literacy/advertising_techniques.htm http://www.adcracker.com/techniques/Advertising_Techniques.htm good video examples, overview, 15 techniques http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/default/files/pdfs/lessonplan/Lesson_Advertising_All_Around_Us.pdf lesson focused on pre-teens, but useful at higher levels http://buzzmarketing.com/2010/11/26/advertising-techniques/ tips by category -- most useful further down http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/66236 Tips for ad copy http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/persuasive-techniques-advertising-1166.html high school unit on advertising; extensive

YouTube

http://www.ehow.com/how_2036208_youtube-video.html basic points on making YouTube videos http://www.youtube.com/t/creators_corner YouTube’s how-to http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-YouTube-Video very basic Continued…

Activity 4 – One Person's Trash (Fish)… Resource 2 – Web Resources Page 3

YouTube continued http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/youtube-videos-suck/ a little less basic, but still... http://www.webinknow.com/2007/08/8-tips-to-make-.html tips on expanding your audience http://techcrunch.com/2007/11/22/the-secret-strategies-behind-many-viral-videos/ how to make videos go ‘viral’ http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-create-viral-youtube-video-clips reasons for videos going viral, how to do it, two good videos http://technobabble2dot0.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/how-to-make-a-video-go-viral/ some good links

Illustration credit: C. Iverson, Minnesota DNR

Activity 5 Splake Lake

Purpose: To help students understand that stocking is an activity that first does no harm, and second, provides cost-effective sport fishing opportunities. Outcomes: Students will be able to assess certain lakes based on their potential splake habitat, and determine whether stocking splake would harm the existing fish community and/or have a reasonable chance of success. Subject: Science, Biology, Group size: 4-6 students/group Site: Classroom Time: 45 minutes plus research and presentation time Supplies: Resource Sheets (splake sheet optional) Before the activity: Copy resource sheets if required References: Activity 1, Resource Sheets 1 and 3; Resource Sheets 1, 2 and 3(optional); Teacher Resource Sheet A QUICK LOOK Students discover that splake play a unique role in Ontario’s Fisheries Management Program. They then take on the role of fisheries management biologists and determine which of a number of lakes is best suited for the introduction of splake. Along the way, they come to realize that protection of the environment and native fish populations take precedence when siting a put-and-take fishery. Continued…

Activity 5 – Splake Lake Page 2 READY, SET, GO! Note: This activity is designed as a research project for advanced Intermediate and Senior Students. The necessary characteristics of splake and their habitat can be found in the resource links of Activity 2, Resource Sheet 3. In particular, the last link has much of the required information. For less advanced students, the critical information on splake has been compiled on Resource Sheet 3. They can make assessments by simply comparing the information on the two Sheets. Alternatively, Sheet 3 could be provided after their presentations as an added tool for evaluation. It is expected that students will have already completed their work for Activity 1, and will have a general understanding of splake biology and habitat needs. Ask the class what might set splake apart from most other Ontario sport fish. Indicate that they are not a common or uncommon natural hybrid, but rather a hybrid developed for Ontario’s Fish Culture Program. Resource Sheet 1 provides a brief history of splake in Ontario and North America. Provide it as background, or go over the key points in class. Indicate that their task, in groups of 4-6 as staff fisheries biologists, is to determine which of a number of lakes would be best suited for the introduction of splake. All of these lakes have been put forward by angler’s groups as candidates for a new put-and-take splake fishery, so they will also need to explain not only why some lakes are suited for splake, but why the others are not. Provide Resource Sheets 2 (and 3) to the class. Explain that they provide additional background information on the lakes that have been put forward (and on splake). Provide enough in- or out-of-class time for the groups to research and produce their results, and explain them in-class before the whole group. A Teacher Resource Sheet provides additional information on stocking guidelines, an assessment of each lake, and a rationale for why one is Splake Lake. Continued…

Splake stocking in Algonquin Park. Photo by: Gary Waito, Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation

Activity 5 – Splake Lake Page 3 OTHER IDEAS Results could be presented at a public meeting where either you as the teacher or select students take on the role of anglers who want to see splake in their lake. The management teams will have to take care to explain to these anglers why, or more particularly, why not, splake will be allowed in their lake. HANDOUT MASTERS Resource Sheet 1: A Brief History of Splake in Ontario Resource Sheet 2: Lakes for Splake? Resource Sheet 3: Splake Information Teacher Resource Sheet: Lake Assessments

Activity 5 – Splake Lake Resource 1 – A Brief History of Splake in Ontario

Experimentation with brook and lake trout hybrids began in the late 1800s in New York, and some efforts were made in Ontario between 1915 and 1917. Interest picked up again in 1940’s Alberta, where the name splake (the "Sp" from speckled trout, a common name for brook trout, and the "lake" from lake trout) was coined for a cross between a brook trout male and a lake trout female (the opposite cross was largely unsuccessful because the brook trout eggs were too small for the developing embryo). Ontario began a splake program in the early 1950’s for two reasons. First, to provide fishing opportunities in inland lakes where brook and lake trout had not succeeded, and second, to see if they could replace lake trout lost to sea lamprey in the Great Lakes (See Activity 1). Since splake grew faster and matured earlier, the thought was that they would be less susceptible to lamprey predation. While fish in the inland lakes survived and grew, they did not reproduce effectively. In Lake Huron, fish were selected for early maturation and deep swimming ability. Almost 10 years of stocking were ineffective, however, due to both high mortality and, again, lack of reproduction in the wild. Fisheries managers then decided to use splake strictly in inland lake put-grow-and-take fisheries where brook or lake trout were absent, maintaining and controlling population numbers through stocking on an annual basis. Splake proved to be a popular game fish, and around 675,000 continue to be stocked each year in Ontario waters. Similar programs have spread to a number of states and provinces. This graph shows splake stocking relative to other fish in the Ontario program:

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 1 – A Brief History of Splake in Ontario Page 2

Previous page: History adapted from Kerr, S. J. 2000. F1 Splake: An annotated bibliography and literature review. Fish and Wildlife Branch, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario. 79p. + appendices

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 2 – Lakes for Splake? Page 1

Table of Lake Characteristics

Lake Area Depth (m) mean/max

Bottom Types

Clarity pH Min. Oxygen+

Max. Temp.+

Borman 106 2.7/20 90% rock* 10% fine**

Clear 5.8 4.2 mg/l 13.5 C

Little Sault 95 5.2/12 50% rock 50% fines

Clear 6.2 4.1 mg/l 14.0 C

Oval 307 13.2/60 40% rock 60% fines

Clear 6.5 4.7 mg/l 11.2 C

Fish 105 11.0/35 40% rock 60% fines

Clear 4.9 4.5 mg/l 12.8 C

Lower Shirley

55 2.5/6 15% rock 85% fines

Somewhat turbid

6.0 6.5 mg/l++ 16.5 C++

* Rock includes boulders and gravel + below thermocline

* * Fines include sand, silt and detritus ++ for entire lake; no thermocline exists General Note: While lakes with these outlines and bathymetry exist, some of the lake characteristics have been altered for the purposes of this exercise. Therefore the names have been changed. All lakes have adequate nutrients for splake. Map contour lines are in metres. Continued…

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 2 – Lakes for Splake? Page 2

Lake Notes Borman Lake This lake has no existing game fish populations, but contains good populations of forage fish. Some stunted populations of yellow perch occur. A major inlet stream holds brook trout which spawn over gravel shoals just above the stream mouth. These shoals are easily accessible from the lake. This is a prize stream for fly fishers.

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 2 – Lakes for Splake? Page 3

Lake Notes Little Sault Lake Small walleye and smallmouth bass fisheries currently exist in Little Sault, together with abundant forage populations.

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 2 – Lakes for Splake? Page 4

Lake Notes Oval Lake Oval contains a complex fish community which includes lake trout, smallmouth bass, walleye and Northern pike. Lake trout are found mostly below the thermocline in the extensive deepwater areas of the lake. Herring and lake whitefish also occur in the open areas of the lake. There is a moderate amount of forage for all species.

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 2 – Lakes for Splake? Page 5

Lake Notes Fish Lake This lake has no existing game fish populations, but contains good populations of forage fish. Some stunted populations of yellow perch also occur. Inlet and outlet streams are minor features, and there are some springs in the lake.

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 2 – Lakes for Splake? Page 6

Lake Notes Lower Shirley Lake This lake has no existing game fish populations, but contains moderate populations of forage fish. There are a high number of stunted yellow perch. A new road and boat ramp has recently opened the lake up to additional use.

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 3 – Splake Information Page 1 Splake Information Environmental Factors • Habitat Splake tend to be more tolerant fish than either parent species. They are capable of surviving better than parents in low pH lakes (4.9 - 5.4). While splake can be found in water from 8-20 C, they prefer 12-14 C, and do not do well above 15.5 C. This preference drives them toward the thermocline in the summer. While splake will move toward preferred temperatures, they do not often migrate out of an inland lake. Splake do better in smaller, clear lakes (50 -100 ha) with a small littoral zone and steep basin contours to a maximum depth of 12-24 m. They like areas with seep escape habitat. Splake do best in lakes with at least a low to moderate amount of nutrients (MEI 3-6). Relatively high levels of oxygen are required, i.e. 4-5 mg/L below the thermocline. • Predation Predators include fish-eating mammals and birds, and other, larger fish such as rainbow trout and larger splake. Lakes with large existing populations of top predators may suppress splake populations. Continued…

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 3 – Splake Information Page 2 • Prey Yearlings feed mostly on invertebrates. Older splake feed mostly on fish (almost 100% by 3-4 years), but will eat a wide variety of animals. An abundance of forage fish is relatively important for stocking success, and should be present. Splake have even been used to reduce the abundance of stunted fish populations. • Competition. Competition exists between splake and a number of other piscavores, including smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, rock bass, lake trout, brook trout and lake whitefish. Even though they are a more aggressive competitor than either parent, stocking success is highest in simple fish communities where such competition is limited. Splake should not be stocked into lakes with self-sustaining populations of either or both parents. Splake should not be stocked into lakes having strong populations of pelagic species such as herring, whitefish or smelt. Potential impacts of Splake Stocking • Predation by Splake Since they are highly piscivorous, splake may suppress populations of forage and other sport fish. Continued…

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 3 – Splake Information Page 3 • Competition Competition for food may also help to suppress other fish populations. For example, there may be competition with smallmouth bass for crayfish, and with rainbow trout during the spring and fall. Splake and brook trout use the same spawning areas, and splake will out-compete brook trout, stopping all spawning by early-maturing fish. • Hybridization Splake may mate with either parent species in common waters; impacts on brook trout are of particular concern.

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 4 – Teacher Resource Sheet – Lake Assessments Page 1 Lake Assessments Introduction The motto in stocking, as in medicine, should be: above all, do no harm. To this end, stringent protocols are put in place to limit any possible negative impacts of a fish stocking program. Since splake is a hybrid rarely seen in nature, fisheries managers have to be especially sensitive to introducing something entirely new into an ecosystem. The fact that splake almost never reproduce in natural settings does mitigate some of the concern, but does not alleviate all issues. As a result, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry had developed both general and species specific guidelines for stocking fish into Ontario waters. General guidelines particularly related to splake include: • “Introductions of any fish species must be carefully evaluated to prevent an occurrence

which threatens the integrity and productivity of existing fish communities and could result in a lost of species, sub-species, races, stock diversity, fishing opportunities, and/or other benefits.” This might include an Class Environmental Assessment.

• “Stocking hatchery-reared fish in waters which already provide adequate fishing

opportunities based on natural reproduction is unnecessary...and can have significant negative ecological impacts, is inefficient and seldom cost-effective. As a general rule, supplemental stocking should be discouraged in those waters which contain viable...populations of native or naturalized fish of the same species.”

• “Stocked waterbodies should have the physical and chemical conditions suitable for

year-round survival of stocked fish. Of particular importance are appropriate water temperatures, level of acidity, and dissolved oxygen.”

• “Likelihood of success for any stocking project decreases as the number and diversity of

resident fish species increases.” • “Assessment projects should be initiated to evaluate the success of individual stocking

projects to meet the original stocking objectives in an economically sound fashion.”

Continued…

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 4 – Teacher Resource Sheet – Lake Assessments Page 2 Specific guidelines for stocking splake have been folded into the splake information on Resource Sheet 3. They include: • “Managers should ensure habitat conditions in the recipient waterbody are favourable

before splake are stocked.” • “Splake should not be stocked in waters having a resident, natural population of either

brook trout or lake trout. There is also some evidence that splake should not be stocked in waters having strong populations of pelagic species such as lake herring...lake whitefish...or rainbow smelt....”

• “Generally, lakes supporting a sport fishery for other species, such as smallmouth bass,

should not be stocked with splake.” • “To realize optimal growth, an abundance of natural food organisms...should be present

in the lake.” • “Splake may be stocked in waters containing yellow perch and in those waters which are

considered unsuitable for brook trout.” • “Over time, assessment of stocked splake should occur on every lake which is stocked

to ensure that they are providing adequate returns to the fishery.” A decision tree for stocking inland waters is included after the individual lake assessments. Continued…

Activity 5– Splake Lake Resource 4 – Teacher Resource Sheet – Lake Assessments Page 3 Lake Assessments Borman Lake At first glance, Borman looks like a good candidate lake. All the physical characteristics are reasonable, and several deep pools provide escape habitat. It does, however, appear to have more littoral than a prime splake lake. Food availablilty is excellent. However, the existence of accessible brook trout spawning grounds is enough to eliminate Borman from consideration. Not only would splake physically keep most brook trout off the grounds, splake may also hybridize with the brookies, probably reducing spawning success and diluting good natural stock. Little Sault Lake Little Sault meets minimum depth requirements without having a lot of good escape habitat. All other physical characteristics are good. While there is abundant forage, stable populations of walleye and smallmouth bass also exist. Adding splake would not only violate the guideline related to stocking over existing game fish populations, but would probably be economically unsuccessful, with young splake becoming fodder for the existing fish. Oval Lake Oval has excellent physical characteristics and escape habitat, but is really too large and deep for splake. It also has a complex resident fish community where splake thrive in simpler ones, and the many existing piscivores would suppress splake, notwithstanding the fact that they would not be stocked over existing populations anyway. Fish Lake This lake has excellent physical characteristics, proper size, escape habitat, good depth, minimal littoral, abundant forage, and it has no existing game fish populations. Splake may even eliminate stunting in yellow perch and allow an additional fishery to develop. In addition, splake are highly unlikely to wander out of the lake since connecting streams are not a factor. The pH level is better for splake than either of its parents, and the lake lacks the depth preferred by lake trout. This is Splake Lake. Lower Shirley Lake While Shirley has no existing game fish and reasonable forage, the physical characteristics of the lake mitigate against the addition of splake. Depth is lacking, and the absence of a thermocline allows the water to warm too much in the summer for splake. While the new developments will increase pressure to develop a sport fishery on Lower Shirley, splake would be the wrong choice.

APPENDIX I. Fish stocking decision tree for inland w aters.

Request to stock Ush in a waterbody

+ Has the proposed fish species ever been present in the water body?

+Yes Has the species been stocked into this waterbody in

the recent post?

Is there public nccess to the watcrbody?

Is there a .strain n r stock of speci~l signilicancc of the proposed species in the watcrbody?

~No

Yes

Y es

Yes

This is an introduction and you must comply with Environmental Assessment requirements.

Give conditional approval . Conduct a funhcr review oflake specific information. Ar~ there any special considerations or

conditions? ... +No

Approve stocldng project.

Do no t stock with fish reared at a provincia l lish culture statio n or with Gsh reared utili7.ing M NR funds (e.g., CFWLP)

unless the watcrbody is being us~d as a genetic rc fugium. Private stocking may be consh.lcrcd.

Restore the w ild strain if there is reasonable potentia l for rehabilitation. Stnck with the most appropriate strain and use

c ulture methods w hich impose the least selection for undesired traits. For artificial stocking. strnin muy not be a concern.

Is there o strain or stock of special significance for Yes Will that significant stock or strnin of another species be another fish species in the wnterbody or is the negatively affected by stocking?

waterbody being manuged for o~t~h~e-r~in~c~o~m~p~o~ti~b~le~-----------Jio--------------------~~·~ l species? l Nn Yes

~ ~~

Is there already a good sport fishery in the proposed waterbody or is the waterbody being managed for

special opportuntlc• (e.g. trophy fishery)?

l No

Is the re suitable habitnt. water quality and forage for the various life stages of the proposed species to be

s tocked?

Y es

Is stocking believed to be cost effective? l Yes

Revise s tocking pions o.s required and proceed w ith stocking project. Evaluate success ofsrocking project

where possible und desirab le.

No

No

Consider other management option$ if s tocking is incompatible with existing management ohjcctives (e.g., d is trict fisheries management plans).

Can limiting parameters be improved?

~ No

Is habitat suitable for an urt i ricin I fishery? 1 No

Don•t Stock

Do not s tock with fish reared at a provincial fish culture. station or fish reared utili z ing MNR funds (e.g .. CFWIP). Private stocking mny be considered.

Activity 6 Sketch Studies

Purpose: To develop "field" sketching techniques, focusing on the key identification elements of either splake or bowfin. Outcomes: Students will create a number of sketches, including key aspects of their fish, e.g. fins, mouth, eye area, natural poses that their fish may take, and habitat components to be included in their final drawing. Subject: Visual Arts, Science, Biology (Ecology) Group size: Class Site: Classroom; computer lab Time: 45 minutes, plus field exploration time Supplies: sketching materials, scrap paper for journals Before the activity: assemble journals if students aren’t to do them; do several image searches and list good images for students to see Reference: See References, Activity 3 A QUICK LOOK Students will conduct a "field" exploration, creating and keeping a "field journal" of sketches that will be used later to help them draw key elements of their final image. Continued…

Activity 6 – Sketch Studies Page 2 READY, SET, GO! Explain that it is now time to start planning their actual drawing or painting of a splake or bowfin. Indicate that wildlife artists often start the way they have, by researching their subject and assembling images. Often, the next step is a field trip to the actual habitat, with field sketches of the habitat and, if they’re lucky, the actual animal. Fish artists will don SCUBA gear and explore underwater, sketching on waterproof "slates", taking underwater photos or video and just observing the interactions of their subject and its environment. They will also bring their subjects back with them, keeping them in aquaria for observation and sketching before returning them to the wild. Suggest that it would be difficult to take a whole class underwater, especially at this time of year. Instead, students will take a virtual field trip, applying sketching techniques to their discoveries as they go along. Introduce field journal keeping by having students first practice some sketching techniques:

• practice gesture sketching (http://www.artgraphica.net /free-art-lessons/wetcanvas/gesture-sketches /gesture-sketches.htm) in quick, timed (5-30 second) sketches of stationary objects; • try quick behavioural sketches of fish in aquaria, birds at feeding stations, etc. • introduce contour sketching using hand-held objects, looking only at the object and drawing one continuous line for the entire sketch; gradually increase "peeking" to 25% of the time; Gesture sketch (J. DeFrese) • draw generic fish, or fish shapes, beginning with two inter-locking arcs to establish a basic “streamlined” shape1; modify into sinuous shapes using flattened, asymmetrical figure-eights to show fish turning or swimming, or change the shape of the arc to produce various fish body types. Add basic body parts to the better shapes. Drawing fish (Rick Seymour) Continued…

Activity 6 – Sketch Studies Page 3 Provide, or have students create, "field journals", which may be as simple as squares of scrap paper stapled together. At the top of each page they should note the date, time, location, and any details about the type of drawing and the source of their work. Armed with their field journals, the students are ready to begin their virtual trip. Trip "locations" could include:

• Image searches using web tools such as Google and Yahoo, focusing on good

photographs of living fish, accurate biological drawings and artwork of fish in natural settings.

• Image searches in fishing or outdoors magazines (In-Fisherman, Outdoor Canada, Real Fishing, Ontario Out of Doors) – credible fish art lies within!

• Aquaria that contain their own or similar species. Note: fish may be collected and kept for short periods of time using Scientific Collectors’ Permits, available from Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry District Offices. Speak directly to the Office about the limitations of the permit and likely fish locations. Keeping fish of this type for any length of time requires some skill and experience; unless fish can be kept at reasonably low temperatures, they will have to be acclimated to cold conditions again before being returned to the wild.

• Commercial aquaria or zoos.

Sketching topics should include:

• Elements of the fish that set it apart from others, e.g. fin size and location, mouth shape, size and structure, general body shape (including head-on views) and colour patterns.

• Important habitat components. • Ways to simulate movement or natural fish positions. • Interesting points of view from which to create their image.

Indicate that their sketchbooks will provide the "notes" that they will use to create their final artwork. __________ 1 ©2003, The Inquiry Net, www.inquiry.net: In addition to any Copyright still held by the original authors, the Scans, Optical Character Recognition, extensive Editing, and HTML Coding on this Website are the property of the Webmaster, Rick Seymour. My work may be used freely by individuals for non-commercial, non-web-based activities, such as Scouting, research, teaching, and personal use so long as this copyright statement is included in the text.

Activity 7 Kids' Fish Artwork

Purpose: To produce final art for the MNRF Kids’ Fish Art Contest

Outcomes: Students will be able to integrate all art and design principles previously introduced within a single painted or drawn composition, using a variety of technical art production skills, and communicate through their art a knowledge of fish anatomy and habitat.

Subject: Visual Arts, Science, Biology (Ecology)

Group size: Class

Site: Classroom

Time: 100 – 120 minutes

Supplies: pencils, paints or other drawing supplies, watercolour paper or illustration board meeting competition requirements.

References: 11th Annual Kid’s Fish Art Contest winners: http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/kids-fish-art-contest A QUICK LOOK Students will plan, compose and execute their competition painting or drawing. Continued…

Activity 7 – Kids' Fish Artwork Page 2 READY, SET, GO! Have students assemble all the studies and reference materials that they have done to date. They might wish to view the previous winning entries for the Contest (see References above) to see how the artists handled both composition and the space requirements for other elements of the Young Angler’s Licence. Ask students to prepare a series of composition studies for their competition painting or drawing that considers the following issues:

• In addition to the central fish, will there be other fish, animals or plants in the picture? What will be their attitudes or position relative to the focal fish?

• Will the vantage point be from above, from below or at eye level? • What physical habitat components will they include?

Encourage students to study various combinations of these elements and finally select a strong composition, which also provides an opportunity to display the key external features of their fish, using artistic techniques. Do not allow students, under any circumstances, to reproduce materials that are protected by copyright – this is against contest entry rules, and also discourages creativity.

Continued…

Activity 7 – Kids' Fish Artwork Page 3 Finally, ask students to select a medium they feel comfortable with and execute the painting or drawing of their chosen design. Begin this work with enough time for repetitions if something goes wrong or if the student wants to try several different compositions or techniques. Assemble the final art, and review each piece for balance, composition and perspective, as well as effectiveness at portraying their fish and its habitat. FOR DISCUSSION How do the paintings of splake or bowfin differ from one another? What are the major differences in habitat for each fish? What are the similarities in how each fish is portrayed? Are there any unique perspectives that strengthen a particular composition, or highlight significant characteristics of a fish or its habitat?