Marine Sciences for Melbourne Schools: the Docklands Ocean Education Project

The Docklands Ocean Education Centre involves collaboration between Tall Ships Victoria, who are renovating the 3 masted schooner Alma Doepel at the docklands, and the University of Melbourne. We are developing a program... [ view full abstract ]

The Docklands Ocean Education Centre involves collaboration between Tall Ships Victoria, who are renovating the 3 masted schooner Alma Doepel at the docklands, and the University of Melbourne. We are developing a program module for Melbourne schools on ‘Human uses of Port Phillip Bay’. The first focus will be on the way the bay processes nutrients from human and farming wastes via river outflow. After a presentation to explain how algae take up the nutrients, and then are the base of a food chain of animals in the bay, students will engage in an interactive exercise to discover which animals eat what, using a water table with live animals and a range of potential food items. Other aspects of the school module will cover fishing from the bay (abalone, mussels and fish) and transportation and cargo imports via docks and its history.