[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Joanne,

 

Thank you for your forum post to module 4. The I Spy activity is an excellent idea to get children thinking about the balance between different nutrients such as protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Seafood is rich in many essential nutrients like Omega-3 oils and iron which are essential for development at a young age as well. This is why we believe it is important for children to know that fish and shellfish represent high quality dietary choices to aid in development.

 

 

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Patricia,

Thank you for your comments on the project, and for your post to the forum for Module 1! Sometimes we get students on board who are more mechanical/engineering minded and we try to give them as much information about the pod/truck as possible as even that can be a learning experience!

As an island nation, I believe aquaculture should be introduced into the classroom as it utilises our greatest resource, water. Especially considering it can be taught amongst other school subjects such as maths, science, geography and sustainability.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Aileen,

Thank you for your post to Module 3. The Arc content has all been designed in conjunction with students own curriculum and with the aim of encouraging STEM learning through a variety of resources. It mqay not be of interest to all students, but the aim is to try to provide topics which will encourage learning amongst pupils.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Aileen,

Thank you for your forum post to Module 4. You have provided some excellent examples of how learning about seafood nutrition can be integrated amongst several school subjects! And learning about the nutrients and their distributions in foods can be a very easy task to give to students as all they would need to do is examine the ingredient list on food packaging and compare/contrast with other foods.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Patricia,

 

Thank you for your forum post to Module 5 – Sustainability. It is great to hear students in your school becoming stewards for sustainability and championing it throughout school! There are many different ways to lead a sustainable life and we find it equally important to highlight the harm being unsustainable can have on the wildlife and surrounding environment.

 

Hugh.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Rebecca,

With the importance of maintaining a balanced diet, children should know about the highly important nutrients which can be found in seafood. Shellfish are  important source of iron whereas oily fish like salmon are rich in Omega-3 oils and Vitamin D, essential for bone health. This could be introduced in the classroom with something as simple as investigating nutritional information that you can read on food packaging!

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Sandra,

Thats a great point, it really is our unique, Goldilocks climate that allows us to be highly productive with agriculture and aquaculture! We need to ensure that we maintain the quality of our waters, both fresh and saltwater, as they are key to the quality of food which we are producing. Festivals to celebrate our seafood also ensure the seafood culture and history is not lost in Ireland and will keep attracting tourists to our shores.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Laoise,

For Donegal, sustainability is very important especially based off the fishing industry there. Killybegs is the largest fishing port in Ireland so it is crucial for us to be more sustainable with our fishing practices to ensure this industry can keep operating.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Niamh,

Thank you for your forum post to Module 3. This is one of the main purposes for this course to showcase that the topic of aquaculture can be taught in line with the students own primary or secondary curriculums! It also provides students with problem-solving skills and can aid in hands on learning approaches within the classroom.

 

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Aoife,

Thank you for your forum post to Module 2! Ireland is in an excellent position to sustain agriculture, but our geography restricts that ability on our west coast. Aquaculture can represent an industry which can suplement agriculture here in Ireland and abroad. Similar to agriculture, job creation and food production are the two major benefits and promoting both is essential for encouraging young people to stay in Ireland and contribute to their own locality.

[Hugh Boyle]

Registration Form

 

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Lyndsy,

I completely agree with you that everyone in Ireland should have some degree of knowledge on the benefits of our seafood! Considering we are all living on an island, we believe it is very important for everyone to understand where their seafood is coming from and how it is being produced.

 

If you would like the ARC to visit your school, you can fill out the form following the link below and we will contact your school when we are next in your region!

BIM – Registration Form

 

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Hannah,

We have used cookery demonstrations to great effect on the ARC where we have done oyster sampling and pairings which have been well received in helping people expand their tastes and showcase the high quality foods Ireland has to offer!

And, when talking about links to culture, Ireland has a rich seafood culture and history with stories like the Salmon of Knowledge being passed down through generations and Sligeach (County Sligo) directly translating to land of the shells due to its rich history of oyster, clam and mussel consumption.

 

 

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Sarah,

These are excellent ideas for how to be sustainable and most important, things that everyone can do in their day to day lives. These are all excellent ways to integrate students into their own local community groups and promote a “green” lifestyle to everyone. Everyone has a role to play in sustaining our natural ecosystems and environment.

[Hugh Boyle]

Hi Cliodhna,

That is one of the main aims for the ARC is to show that they have a stewardship role to play both for their local community and also their local environment. This stewardship can be otherwise described as sustainable development as there is a ‘balancing act’ between the economic development of the community, maintaining the community’s environment and also the social aspects of a community.

 

The Young Chefs Ambassador programme is also quite important to the seafood sector as shellfish such as mussels and oysters are not as popular to eat as they were a couple of hundred years ago. This programme allows our young chefs to develop new, exciting recipes that can be done at home and can entice a new generation of shellfish eaters!

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