#Fish dissection lab report how to#
#Fish dissection lab report full#

Does it sound like plastic, or a rock (or something else)? If it shrinks or twists, it may have been organic and changed form when it lost water. putting hard-to-identify items into a coffee filter for 48 hours to dry.Use the SpotterвЂ™s Guide to help identify plastics from common non-plastics. Plastics can be hard to identify because they are so small, and because they can look like other things fish usually eat. The intestines are long and thin, so cutting and rinsing them can take some care & time. Once you have completed looking through all the stomach contents you will be ready to cut open the intestines and repeat cutting, rinsing, and looking.You can remove items you know are not plastic and place them in a garbage bag.

#Fish dissection lab report full#

Most plastics are smaller than a grain of rice, so take your time! I usually takes us half an hour to It can take us up to half an hour to look at one fish if it had a full stomach & intestine.

Put aside the stomach, and look through the stomach contents closely for plastics.

Inspect the empty stomach lining for any remaining debris.

Whenever you see a plastic, pick it out and put it aside (in a dish is best, since they can get lost!).

If the filter is draining too slowly, you can use a very fine mesh strainer instead (remove the filterвЂ“ the filter just makes it easier to see things). You are trying to get all the contents into the filter without spilling.

Using the water bottle carefully and slowly pour water over the contents to separate and remove all debris from the stomach.

Cut the stomach from one end to the other allowing the contents to gently fall onto the paper lined colander.

Move intestines to one side of colander you will dissect them after the stomach.

Using scissors, cut the intestines from the stomach, being sure to keep anything that spills out into the coffee filter.

Place the coffee filter(s) in the strainer, and then guts in the coffee filter.

Try to get it all in one piece with no nicks! Still pinching the end of the intestines, cut the guts at each end (mouth and anus).Д¬) Gently place the guts in the paper-lined colander. With your other hand, pull upвЂ“the entire GI tract should come up.

Take out the guts: Following the dissecting diagram, use the scissors to remove the entire GI tract (outlined in green).ДЄ) Cut a straight line of the belly of the fish from the mouth to the anus.Д¬itizen Scientists & Marine Plastics in Fish b) Pinch the end of the intestines by the anus with your fingers so contents are not lost.

Place the fish on the cookie sheet or other flat surface (we are using the lid of a rubber maid here).

Prepare the station by placing the cookie sheet on the table or counter.

Dissecting station should be on a clean and even surface.

Setting up your workstation & dissecting your fish Items can be substituted for others that get the job done.Д¬hildren should work with an adult on this project because of the use of knives and other sharp tools. These are items that you can find at home or at local hardware or general stores.

1 large or 4 small Coffee/Paper Filters.

Full sized baking sheet or flat surface that can catch fluids.

#Fish dissection lab report how to#

This guideВ will walk you through how to remove the guts from a fish and analyse them for plastics.