Water We Eating?

Do you like to go fishing and eat fish? If so, then you harvest food from a local aquatic resource. In Iowa, anglers harvest millions of fish each year for consumptive use. Species harvested include bluegill, bass, crappie and catfish. Other aquatic animals such as frogs and crayfish are also harvested. Iowa is also home to aquatic plants such as wild rice and cattails, which are edible. Explore the fascinating world of aquatic food sources and their origins with Project WILD Aquatic’s “Water We Eating”! Then take a trip to your local lake, pond or river and catch your own fish to eat!

Young Child Extension
Bring in a variety of foods from aquatic sources for children to see and taste (be sure to check for food allergies) such as fish, shellfish, and wild rice. Take children fishing to catch their own fish to eat.

Book List
Grades PreK-2
Arnosky, J. 1993. Crinkleroot's Twenty-five Fish Every Child Should Know. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Clements, A. and Yoshi. 1997. Big Al. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Cook, B. 2005. The Little Fish that Got Away. HarperCollins.
Gall, C. 2006. Dear Fish. Little Brown Books for Young Readers.
Gallimard, J. 1998. Fish. Scholastic.
Harris, T. 2000. Pattern Fish. Millbrook Press.
Heinrichs, A.R. 2003. Fish. Coughlan Publishing.
Lionni, L. 1974. Fish is Fish. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Lionni, L. 1973. Swimmy. Random House Children's Books.
Long, E. 1987. Gone Fishing. Houghton Mifflin.
Pfeffer, W. 1996. What's it Like to be a Fish? (Let's Read-and-Find-Out Science 1). Harper Trophy.
Pfister, M. and J.A. James. 1999. Rainbow Fish. North-South Books.
Prosek, J. 2004. A Good Day’s Fishing. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Quigley, M. 2007. Granddad’s Fishing Buddy. Dial.
Sayre, P. 2007. Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant. Northword Books for Young Readers.
Stockdale, S. 2008. Fabulous Fishes. Peachtree Publishers.
Turnage, S. and J. Stevens. 1984. Trout the Magnificent. Harcourt Children's Books.
Wells, E. 2006. Wishing I was Fishing. Beaver’s Pond Press.
Winner, C. and B. Lehnhausen. 1998. Trout. Lerner Publishing Group.
Wood, A. and B.R. Wood. 2004. Ten Little Fish. Blue Sky Press (AZ).
Yoo, T. 2007. The Little Red Fish. Dial.

Grades 3-5
Amdahl, P. 2000. The Barefoot Fisherman: A Fishing Book for Kids. Clearwater Publishing.
Arnosky, J. 1993. Crinkleroot's Twenty-five Fish Every Child Should Know. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Brewster, B. 1988. Discovering Freshwater Fish. The Bookwright Press.
Burger, C. 1960. All About Fish. Random House.
Gallimard, J. 1998. Fish. Scholastic.
Heinrichs, A.R. 2003. Fish. Coughlan Publishing.
Lionni, L. 1974. Fish is Fish. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Long, E. 1987. Gone Fishing. Houghton Mifflin.
Parker, S. 2005. Fish. DK Publishing, Inc.
Pfeffer, W. 1996. What's it Like to be a Fish? (Let's Read-and-Find-Out Science 1). Harper Trophy.
Sayre, P. 2007. Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant. Northword Books for Young Readers.
Schaefer, L.M. 2001. What Is a Fish?. Coughlan Publishing.
Sill, C. 2005. About Fish: A Guide for Children. Peachtree Publishers.
Sobol, R. 2010. The Life of Rice: From Seedling to Supper. Candlewick Press.
Stockdale, S. 2008. Fabulous Fishes. Peachtree Publishers.
Wells, E. 2006. Wishing I was Fishing. Beaver’s Pond Press.
Winner, C. and B. Lehnhausen. 1998. Trout. Lerner Publishing Group.

Grades 6-8
Fletcher, A.M. 1971. Fishes That Travel. Addison-Wesley.
Harvey, B. 2004. Fish. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Parker, S. 2005. Fish. DK Publishing, Inc.

Grades 9-12
Greenberg, P. 2010. Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food. Penguin Group (USA).
Matsen, B. 2001. Faces of Fishing: People, Food and the Sea at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century. Monterey Bay Aquarium.