• What is the value of dissecting?

Dissecting helps you see things that pictures can’t tell you. They might not be things you want to see, but helpful nonetheless. Also, you know how those pictures got taken. Someone had to dissect a fish to get those pictures. Humans wouldn’t know anything about the insides of fishes if they didn’t dissect.

• How did the dissection help you understand what is happening between the sea lamprey and the trout?

It explained just how the sea lamprey is killing the trout and what an exchange between the 2 species might have looked like. Before the sea lamprey was a 2-inch picture in the corner of our page. Now, it’s a real fish to us. 

• How did you feel about dissection? If you enjoyed the process, why did you enjoy it? If you did not enjoy it, what was difficult about it?

Dissection for the perch was not bad at all until some kids started taking out the eyes from the fish and squeezing them. It was actually kind of fun. We got to cut open a fish and look at the insides it was kind of cool. The sea lamprey was a different story. I had trouble just touching it. I mean, just look at it. How can you really blame me? Although I actually did stay in the room (about half left), it was pretty disgusting. I didn’t actually dissect it (Gev. Mcadams did) but I did look inside of it.