Salmon is a fish of the world!
Third Open School «The role of education in the implementation of biodiversity conservation projects (using the example of salmon conservation)» organized by the Aquarium FEB RAS together with Phoenix Fund was held in the Boarding School for Gifted Children of Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service on 24 — 25 April 2014.
During two days participants from different parts of Primorsky Region and the USA were discussing the way of encouraging salmon conservation in their natural habitats along the Pacific coast, including the territory of Russia and the U.S., through education.
The first day was devoted to modern condition of salmon populations. A member of our Aquarium, Anatoly Semenchenko, and Mariusz Wroblewski, program director at Wild Salmon Center (Oregon, USA), talked about maintaining the salmon population at a high level as well as about salmon conservation and special aspects of teaching about salmon. Leila Baikova, a member of Wild Salmon Center, shared the information about salmon education programs in Oregon (USA) and partners of Wild Salmon Center from Kamchatka, Sakhalin and Khabarovsk Region told about various salmon education programs implemented in Russia.
The second day was devoted to discussing the organization of salmon holidays in the Russian Far East and a workshop on developing the ideas and certain elements of such holidays. Aquarium FEB RAS is planning to celebrate Salmon Day every year.
The highlight of the Third Open School was the premiere of the interactive play «Salmon Boy» based on the fairy tale of a writer and member of the Museum of Marine Biology FEB RAS Viktor Kvashin. During the play the audience had a chance to participate in the performance, turn into salmons, and learn to overcome difficulties that salmon face making their way to spawn. Main parts were played by marine mammal trainers of Aquarium FEB RAS and games for children were conducted by the members of our Education Department. The first people to see the play were the kids from the Boarding School for Gifted Children of VSUES. They were so impressed they even created a cartoon about the life of salmon afterwards.
The play «Salmon Boy» was the first educational product of Aquarium FEB RAS and part of «Developing
The seminar was made possible through the financial assistance of the U.S.-Russia
The experience of our colleagues from Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Khabarovsk Region let us hope that the Primorsky Region will soon become the place where people can appreciate and protect the fish that we have in our seas and lakes, and help its population to grow. Moreover, they let us hope that salmon, one of the symbols of the Russian Far East, will never disappear from the rivers of Russia, the US, Canada, Japan, and other countries.
We would like to remind you that the Open School is free annual event and invite everyone who is interested to participate in it next year. Check our site for updates and further information.
