Our class went on an outing to the Grand Canal beside our school in October. Godfrey Donohue took us down and told us about all the fish that live in the canal. They are: Pike, Tench, Roach, Bream, Perch and Rudd. Godfrey knows all about the fish and he is a very good fisherman. Godfrey had a thermometer and he took the temperature of the water in the canal. We also brought a bucket and a net. We caught tiny little fish in the net and put them into the bucket to examine them closely. They are called Pinkeens (or minnow). Godfrey used the net to catch a Pike. We examined it then put it back into the water. We got lots of leaflets and pictures of fish to help us with our project. We had a great day with Godfrey.

Rudd 

The rudd likes really weedy water.We know the rudd by its fins. The front edge of the dorsal (back) fin is farther back than the ventral (belly) fin. The ventral fins are bright orange. The rudd has an orange iris.

Tench  

The tench is a member of the carp family. The tench has an unforked tail. Its skin is slimy and its body is bulky and muscular. The tench is a powerful fighter when it is hooked. It feeds on worms, snails, lice and leeches.

Perch 

The perch feeds on worms, insects and small fish and that makes it very popular with anglers. The perch is a really handsome fish. Its ventral fins are tinged orange. The spiny dorsal fin has a dark spot that helps one to recognise the perch. In winter the perch lives in deep water but in spring it swims in shoals into shallower water along the banks, where the females lay their eggs. The young fish hatch after 14 days.

Bream

Bream like still slow-flowing waters. They feed on smaller water animals e.g. insect larvae and some water plants. The bream has a deeply forked tail. The bream is very sensitive to any movement in the water.

Roach 

The roach is a very common fish. It lives in rivers and canals. It likes to eat both plant and animal food. The roach lives for about 10 years. The dorsal fin and the ventral fin are in line. It is easy to recognise because of its silver colour, red fin and red eyes.

Carp 

The carp is about 50 to 60 cm in length and it weighs about 2-3 kgs. They like water that is not too cold. They like canal water because it is calm and has a nice muddy bottom with plenty of plants growing there.

Pike 

The pike has a long head with a flat snout shaped like a duck-bill and pointed teeth. They like to eat fish including their own species so they are not popular with fish breeders.

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