Fish Biology

Fish in the Hudson River? You bet! More than 200 species of fish are found in the Hudson River and its tributaries. Fish Biology introduces students to life under the Hudson River through activities such as catch and release fishing, fish anatomy and River touch tanks. See grade appropriate objectives below:

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES (Grades 2-5)

• Students will learn the basic anatomy of a fish and the function of each part
• Students will explore the life cycle of the striped bass through the creation of a bass book
• Students will practice catch and release fishing to engage with  the Hudson River and its wildlife
• Students will humanely interact with live animals from the Hudson River (e.g. fish, mud crabs, shrimp, snails, etc.)
• Students will apply their experiences to define ways that they can contribute to the health of the Hudson River and its wildlife

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES (Grades 6-12)

• Students will learn the basic anatomy of a fish by observing a fish dissection
• Students will interact with various critters from the Hudson River
• Students will practice catch and release fishing to engage with  the Hudson River
• Students will humanely interact with live animals from the Hudson River (e.g. fish, mud crabs, shrimp, snails, etc.)
• Students will apply their experiences to define ways that we can support Hudson River fish

WHAT TEACHERS SAY ABOUT THE PROGRAM

• “The quality of the educators was very high.  I loved their professionalism and how they were able to connect with the kids on the topics.  They were respectful of the students and their knowledge and were successful in getting details from them to drive the conversations forward.” -3rd Grade Teacher, Bronx
• “My class really enjoyed the program! There was a perfect balance of “sitting down” time and movement to engage children. The content was age appropriate and presented in an organized and clear way. Thank you so much for a wonderful day! I will definitely return next year and will recommend the program to other teachers in my school.” -4th Grade Teacher, Queens
• “The educators were extremely knowledgeable about fish biology.  They presented the information very clearly and allowed students opportunities to engage with the specimens and live marine animals.  We saw shrimp, isopod, toadfish, mussel and even a striped bass!” -10th Grade Teacher, Manhattan
• “[HRP] educators were wonderful. Positive and clear, exciting and structured” -9th Grade Teacher, Bronx