On a blustery morning at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences a Northlands Primary student leaned over a tank and chortled: “I caught a big mama!”

He pulled up a lion fish and proudly showed it to his classmates. Some of them gnashed their teeth in envy, while others dipped their rods back in the tank to have another go. Not to worry; these particular poisonous lion fish were made from laminated paper and caught with magnets at the end of a stick. To be honest, there wasn’t even water in the tank.

The Northlands students were at BIOS as part of their annual two week HSBC Explorer programme which introduces Bermuda students to various scientific and environmental subjects. This year’s theme was The Secrets of Fish.

There were also real fish to look at, alive and in skeleton form. There were underwater videos and a remote operated vehicle. Still the fishing for lion fish station, akin to a fun fair game, seemed the most popular. There was a serious side to it. After pulling up their fish, students read a tag on the fish that talked about the weight of the pretend lion fish and the depth in the ocean it might be found.

Topics included everything from fish anatomy and physiology to the various technologies that scientists use to study and understand their behaviour and ecology.

In previous years BIOS welcomed students of all ages through its doors to participate in the Explorer Programme, but this year they focused on primary four and five students. This meant fewer students took part, but BIOS was able to use a more targeted approach.

For the first time, the programme received a financial boost through a partnership with HSBC which donated new interactive materials and visually integrated programme components.

“We are very excited to have HSBC as our partner, and as the title sponsor of Explorer,” said JP Skinner, Director of Ocean Academy. “With their support we can bring a whole new level of ocean science education to Bermuda’s students and teachers,”

To learn more about HSBC Explorer, see the Ocean Academy section of the BIOS Education website, www.bios.edu/education.