Waterfront towns and ocean economies depend on the health of our seas. Yet every year, the balance tilts toward overfishing and waste.

In this Talkabout, we ask a simple but urgent question: Can we stop overfishing before there’s nothing left to fish, and what would that mean for our future meals?

Through real stories, hands-on activities, and bold debate, pupils explore sustainable fishing, food security, and our responsibility to the blue planet.

“Catching Food in Water – by Hook, or by Crooks?”

Theme: Sustainable fishing, food security, and human impact on ocean life.
Key question: Can we stop overfishing before there’s no fish left – and what does that mean for our future food?

This Talkabout dives into the global fishing crisis: overfishing, by-catch, dynamite blasts, illegal unregistered ships, fishing with cyanide, bottom trawling, and dumping low-value catch.

Laws exist, fines get issued, but while profits roll in, fish stocks dwindle. Will we swim or sink into a world of microplastic krill burgers?

Pupils explore traditional methods (pike trimming with bottles, haaf netting, eel babbing) versus industrial tech scraping oceans dry. They debate solutions like global management, aquaponics, diet shifts, and why keeping Earth healthy matters, even if we dream of space expeditions to terraform new homes.

Hands-on activities spark enquiry:

• Compare “sporting chance” freshwater fish vs. sea family wipeouts.

• Imagine future meals without wild fish.

• Brainstorm school pledges for sustainable seafood.

Curriculum links:

• Science (Y5/6): Living things and habitats; human impact on ecosystems; food chains.

• Geography (Y5/6): Resource distribution; sustainable development; economic activity (farming/fishing).

• PSHE/Citizenship (all KS2): Moral dilemmas; global citizenship; healthy eating and environment.

• English: Argument, debate, persuasive writing (e.g., “Save Our Sea” and “River Watch” campaigns).

World of Water supports the next generation to act now for tomorrow’s blue planet.

For resources or to book, contact World of Water.