Le Lac Aux Perches (lost animated children's educational TV show; 1980-1989)

Promotional shot of the first episode: "La Chaîne Alimentaire".

Status: Lost

Le Lac Aux Perches, Perch Lake when translated literally, is an animated children's TV show from the 1980s produced by the Institut du film danois to educate and sensitize children about the workings of animal life in lakes, such as the food chain, reproduction and the dangers and effects of water pollution on lake ecosystems.

The show was described in listings as following a group of Perch as they are born, live and eventually die in a Swedish lake throughout the different seasons of the year, although only two of the episodes were overtly focused on seasons.

Availability

No clips of the show exist online, the only existing visual remains of it consists of a single image from the episode "La Chaîne Alimentaire" used by Ici Radio-Canada showing what appears to be a frame from the show, and the only record of its existence remains through old television listings from the 1980s.

Distribution

The show was first released in July of 1980 on the french TV station France Region 3 Jeunesse, shortened to FR3 Jeunesse. The show then went into a dormancy for 2 years, during which it found its way to Canada and debuted on Quebec television in 1982, being shown occasionally during the following 2 years until going into dormancy once more. The show eventually ended up being shown again in Quebec 6 years later, in 1988, until its final showing on the 28th of may 1989, which consisted of the last episode of the show "La Pollution".

The show was produced by the Institut du film danois, unfortunately no other information is known about the production of the show, and a quick search for the Institut du film danois does not reveal any relevant information.

Episodes

Only five episodes were produced, each focusing on a different aspect of lake life. From the one shot available, we can see that the episodes were animated in 2D and showcased quite realistic depictions of the ecosystem, and TV listing timestamps show that each episode was approximately 15 minutes long when including ad breaks. Unfortunately, with each episode, the descriptions given by the listings become less and less detailed.

#	Original Episode Title	English Translation	Status	Synopsys
1	La Chaîne alimentaire	The Food chain	Lost	This episode follows the journey of plankton as it makes its way up the food chain, going from a water flea, a fry, a stickleback, a perch and finally a pike as illustrated in the shot of the show provided by Ici Radio-Canada.
2	La Progéniture des perches	The Perches offspring	Lost	This episode focused on the spawning ground of a group of Perch and explained the mating process in depth, from fertilisation to birth. The episode would showcase a female depositing her eggs in a chain and a male covering them with their milt. We then shortly follow the fry as they are born and go about the first days of their lives.
3	Le Printemps	Spring	Lost	In the same way used in the previous one, this episode focuses on the mating season that comes with the hotter climate of spring, most likely showcasing a wider variety of the lakes inhabitants and their different breeding methods.
4	L'Hiver	Winter	Lost	This episode explains the lives and behaviors of the lake's population as they try to survive the winter.
5	La Pollution	Pollution	Lost	The final episode focuses on the effects caused by water pollution on the lake's ecosystem.