At least 100,000 pupils have been taught about Scotland’s fishing catch in an innovative scheme aimed at persuading more youngsters to eat fish and other seafood.
Tain Royal Academy and Kingussie High School were the latest stopping off points for the popular Seafood in Schools programme, run by industry body Seafood Scotland.
Pupils from more than 130 primary and 20 secondary schools have attended the project’s two day events, featuring hands-on seafood and cooking sessions among other activities, over the past three years.
A further 20 schools have taken part in one-day health and wellbeing workshops, while about 30,000 youngsters have participated in Seafood in Schools workshops at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
The scheme has also been used to support teacher training, with more than 1,000 professionals across the country taking advantage of the chance to find out how they can use seafood as a context for lessons.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Some of the finest seafood anywhere in the world is produced in Scotland’s pristine waters, and my ambition for Scotland as a good food nation is for us all to be making the most of the fantastic natural larder we have on our doorstep.
“That is why the Scottish Government is supporting the Seafood in Schools project, which teaches children about the fish and seafood produced in Scottish waters, its journey from sea to plate and how to prepare it.
“The programme’s already visited hundreds of schools across the country, and it is great that pupils in Tain and Kingussie have now had the chance to get a taste of what Scottish seafood has to offer.”
The Tain event saw pupils from the town’s secondary school joined by youngsters from Bonar Bridge, Craighill, Edderton, Gledfield, Hill of Fearn, Hilton of Cadboll, Inver, Knockbrek and Tarbet Old primaries.
At Kingussie, the high school students were joined by children from Alvie, Gergask, Kingussie and Newtonmore primaries for half-hour workshops designed to improve their understanding of the Scottish seafood industry and the opportunities it affords young people thinking about future careers.
Seafood in Schools is funded by the government, Seafish, the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation (SSPO), Scottish Fishermen’s Trust and Scottish Whitefish Producers’ Association.
It also relies on in-kind contributions and involvement by the fishing and aquaculture industries.
SSPO chief executive Scott Landsburgh said: “We are delighted to continue our support for such a fun and informative programme.
“Encouraging kids to eat a healthy balanced diet that includes fish rich in Omega 3 such as salmon is really important for improving concentration and enhancing brain development.”