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Schools

VIDEO: 4th and 5th Graders Go Fishing Off Catalina

Long Beach Unified students who live 25 miles offshore, the islanders learn on the water the importance of caring for our 'fragile seas.'

The Catalina Seabass Fund joined with the Phil Friedman Outdoors Youth Program to take the 4th and 5th grade classes from Avalon on their annual fishing trip this week. Avalon K-12 School is part of the Long Beach Unified School District, staffed by LBUSD teachers.

 The outing brought students on the water to learn about the ocean by experiencing it, complete with sea lions, fish and other sealife. Many of the students had never fished, and others had never been to the quieter Two Harbors side of Catalina.

It was a memorable day for so many different reasons.

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Adrian Hernandez flew in from Beaumont, Texas just to be with his 10-year-old son Adrian on this fishing adventure.

“He is the most important thing in my life,” said the elder Hernandez. “This means more to me than you will ever know.” It was also little Adrian’s birthday -  making the trip for father and son even more special.

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The kids from both classes saw dolphin, sea birds, sea lions, all kinds of fish, tug boats, kayakers and lots more. While some kids grow up fishing from a very young age on Catalina Island, some make their very first fishing trip on this annual adventure.

It was, as always, an all catch and release trip. The stated goal on this trip was to introduce the children to the wonders of the deep blue Pacific in the hope they would grow up to revere and protect our precious and fragile ocean.

Captain John Talsky pours his heart and soul into this annual event. "It has become a tradition on the island," said Talsky. Learning to take care of what we are so blessed to have is one of the most important lessons these kids will ever learn."

You’ll see some of the many wonders of what makes Catalina Island such a special place and you’ll see what a profound effect the great outdoors can have on our youth.

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