Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Nov 09/01) - Samuel Hearne teacher Stacy Applejohn served fish to her students one recent morning.

Students didn't eat the fish, however. They dissected them.

Students Deana Smith, left, Chris Harry and Angela Storr cut open a loche as part of an international science project Samuel Hearne school is taking part in. - Malcolm Gorrill/NNSL photo

Working alone or in groups of two or three, the students carefully cut open the loche, which were caught by Billy Storr, and took out the liver and otoliths -- ear bones which indicate the age of the fish.

Three samples are being sent to the Norwegian Institute for Air Research.

The institute, along with Norway's Globe Program -- an international environmental and science education program -- have developed a four-year project to investigate new POPs, or persistent organic pollutants in the Arctic ecosystem.

Samuel Hearne, which is involved with Globe, is also among 16 schools in Arctic countries taking part in the NILU initiative.

Applejohn explained the livers are to be tested for brominated flame retardants.

Results will be sent back to the school, probably early in the new year, for students to interpret.

"This POPs project is kind of an offshoot of the Globe work. Globe just agreed to help Norway set up the project," Applejohn said.

"The kids did great."

Two students who took part were Nigitstil Norbert and Amanda Johns, and both said the exercise was fun.

"It was my first encounter with something dead, with a scalpel," Johns said.

Norbert chimed in that she had dissected a frog once.

"It was cool. It didn't make me sick or anything," Johns said. "I got a cold just in time so I couldn't smell it."

Johns noted not many high school students get to take part in an actual scientific study, and Norbert agreed that is exciting.

"It'll be in an actual scientific document," Norbert said of their findings.

With a laugh, she said, "People can quote us one day."

In other matters pertaining to Globe, Applejohn said the school has the equipment so students can write down information pertaining to the weather, but that they haven't been set up yet.

"We don't have an appropriate area," Applejohn said. "We have the materials, but they've set up some pretty strict guidelines."