Learning all about the endangered European eel has been a hands-on experience for Gartconner Primary School’s P7 pupils.
Before the school holidays, the youngsters nurtured the imperilled creatures in their Kirkintilloch classroom for six weeks before releasing them into the nearby Luggie Water under the watchful eye of experts from the Clyde River Foundation.
Through the Foundation’s ‘Scotland to Sargasso’ project – launched in 2015 - the pupils looked after 23 eels while learning about their life cycle, where they come from and the dangers they face in migrating from Bermuda to Europe.
Class teacher, Miss McCormick, said, “The children loved this project which really captured their imagination. Being able to see the eels, feed them and watch them grow gave the lessons an extra edge. We weren’t just looking at pictures of the eels, we had them in our classroom. The day we released them into the water was wonderful. The children felt they had really achieved something and had played their part in contributing to an important conservation issue.”
These tenacious baby eels, known as elvars, travel 5,000km from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. Ocean currents help to carry the larvae to Europe which grow on the journey into tiny glass eels. It’s at this stage that the pupils ‘adopt’ the eels, feed them daily and keep them safe until their release into local waters.
East Dunbartonshire’s Education Convener, Councillor Jim Goodall said, “This is such an interesting project for the young people to have been involved in. This type of experience is genuinely memorable; it encourages young people to become involved in conservation and it encourages them to respect and take care of their environment. Well done to everyone involved!”
Dr Willie Yeomans, Catchment Manager for the Clyde River Foundation added, “Scotland to Sargasso is an important part of the Foundation’s education portfolio because it raises awareness of a critically endangered animal which lives right on our doorstep. The amazing life-cycle of the eel links the Luggie Water to the Caribbean and we hope by making the species visible to the entire Gartconner Primary School community, we will encourage our Future Stewards to take good care of them and their environment.”
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