36 AS Biology pupils, 4 enthusiastic teachers and 1 expert Biology technician headed to Portaferry to carry out a study of the seaweed at the rocky shore.
We used quadrats to measure percentage cover of 5 different species of seaweed at 2m intervals spanning from the lower shore to the upper shore. The blue sky, sea and sunshine made for a lovely day out of school! After the seaweed study there was some spare time to have some fun exploring the nearby rock pools.
After a quick picnic, we began our guided tour of Exploris Aquarium, learning about native wildlife of Strangford Lough and getting ‘hands on’ with some of the local creatures including a sea urchin, dog fish and star fish, as well as different species of seaweed. The wonderful tour guides included lots of relevant information that linked closely with the CCEA AS Biology specification, discussing many adaptations of the organisms shown. They also explained how Exploris care for seals, training them to eat independently until they are ready to be released back into the sea. The tour also included a tropical section where the pupils got to meet Nemo and Dory!
This field trip was a great day of studying Biology and was thoroughly enjoyed by the pupils and teachers alike.