A whole member of the fish species being dissected allows a good discussion of adaptations to feeding style. Summer flounder are voracious predators with a diverse diet and make particularly good specimens for this. Be sure to provide air freshener and dissection gloves as this can be an odiferous lab. Students should be able to produce a detailed report with illustrations and commentary, or turn in a scientific journal-style report. Fish market labs .
Fish markets are great sources for live crabs, live clams, and dead fish.
Bait stores offer frozen bait squid and live or dead fish as well as live seaworms. Try a live clam lab where students watch clams filter in food coloring, carmine red, or other marker substances. Squid dissection labs can be found in many dissection manuals.