The next session was delivered by Dr. Veryl Hasan, S.Pi., M.P., through a presentation entitled “Fish and Us.” The session featured various interesting facts about fish and Indonesia’s species diversity, allowing students to gain insights into fish not only from an academic perspective but also to discover the many fascinating aspects of fisheries that can be explored further.
In his presentation, Dr. Veryl introduced Indonesia as one of the countries with exceptionally high fish species diversity. He also shared several unique facts that encouraged students to view fish from a different perspective. One example was Paedocypris progenetica, a remarkably small fish species known as one of the smallest fish in the world.
The discussion continued with the story of a koi fish named “Mulan,” which once reached a market value of nearly IDR 2 billion. This fact demonstrated that fish possess not only ecological and food-related value, but can also have significant economic value when developed within particular sectors.
Dr. Veryl then introduced an even more surprising topic concerning the evolutionary relationship between fish and humans. He explained that, in the context of evolutionary ancestry, human ancestors share certain connections with the ancestors of fish. Rather than explaining the relationship in detail, Dr. Veryl used the topic to spark students’ curiosity.
“If I explain it further, you’ll have to enter FPK first,” said Dr. Veryl.
The statement also served as a creative way for Dr. Veryl to introduce the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine (FPK) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) to the students through curiosity. The various facts presented demonstrated that studying fish is not merely about identifying their species or physical characteristics, but can also lead students to explore evolution, biodiversity, ecology, and the economic value of fisheries resources.
Through the “Fish and Us” session, students were encouraged to see that Indonesia’s fish diversity holds a wealth of knowledge that remains open to further exploration. This approach supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) by introducing scientific knowledge through a contextual and engaging learning experience, while also contributing to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by highlighting the richness of fish biodiversity and the importance of understanding Indonesia’s aquatic resources.
Writer: Fahmi Bayhaqi A
Editor : TPA
