A NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF FISHERIES EDUCATION MATERIALS FOR YOUTH

Many kindergarten (K) through twelfth grade fisheries education materi als exist but have not been inventoried or reviewed to determine wheth er they meet the needs of fisheries professionals and educators. To id entify instructional resources and guide curriculum developers, the Yo uth Education Committee of the American Fisheries Society Education Se ction (1) developed a fisheries education framework of 8 issues and 55 concepts, (2) identified and selected appropriate youth fisheries edu cation materials, (3) reviewed the content of 51 materials based on th e framework, (4) summarized results in a user-friendly guide, and (5) developed recommendations to fill gaps in information. Coverage of bio diversity (Issue 3) and some of the concerts associated with building sustainable fisheries (Issue 4) and promoting stewardship (Issue 6, 7) appear especially limited. Materials that target students in kinderga rten to third grade and ninth- to twelfth-grade levels, that focus on global or marine fisheries, and that provide multicultural perspective s also are needed. Recommendations include revising or developing fish eries education materials based on our framework, using results from t his assessment to avoid duplication, and developing partnerships to im prove fisheries education materials for youth.