Floating Classroom with Shenandoah Middle School Fishing Club and the IGFA

DISCOVERY YACHT River Queen
Miami, Florida
February 29, 2024

Overview

On Thursday, February 29th, 2024, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted Shenandoah Middle School Fishing Club aboard a floating classroom with the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) aboard D/Y River Queen. This floating classroom gave students of SMS the chance to explore sustainable angling and fish physiology through a fishing trip in Biscayne Bay. Before disembarking, the SeaKeepers and IGFA education teams gave our students an introductory lesson on sustainable angling, including the tying of basic fishing knots, the safe release of fish, and how to navigate seasonal catch regulations. Once we reached our first fishing spot, we discussed how the conditions of the Bay may have changed after recent weather in South Florida, as well as how these changes may impact fish populations and the species we see. We finally had our students drop lines in the water where they reeled in about 6 fish of 4 different species. Our catches included sand perch, grey triggerfish, and a couple of different baitfish species, all of which were safely released. To conclude the trip, we were lucky enough to view a spectacular show from a local pod of Biscayne Bay dolphins right in front of the marina! Once we returned to the marina, our teams led a final wrap-up discussion about the day’s activities, highlighting all of the different opportunities that we have to learn about our beautiful natural ecosystems right here in our own backyard, and the even more opportunities we have to protect these ecosystems through our everyday actions.

Outing Goal

The students of Shenandoah MS Fishing Club were such a pleasure to work with and we are happy to be able to take another group of local students out on the water with the invaluable help of our DISCOVERY Yacht River Queen. We hope that these students were able to leave the floating classroom with a better understanding of sustainable angling and the role that it plays and maintaining ecological balance with the help of the IGFA. We had such a great time and hope to host students from Shenandoah again in the future!


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