Fisheries and Seafood Consumption

Contributor
National Geographic Society Nancee Hunter Angela Cowen
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Map , Simulation , Lesson/Lesson Plan
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

 

In this activity, students try to answer the question, "How do the locations of the world's fisheries relate to levels of human population and seafood consumption?"

The first part of the activity has students identify important fisheries of the world and features of what makes them good fisheries. The second part students begin to discuss possible causes of the global fisheries crisis. The third portion requires students to research the sustainability of one type of seafood from each of the five fisheries. Finally, students are instructed to reflect on what they have learned in writing using two prompts. The activity guide states that the activity should take approximately one hour to complete.

Intended Audience

Educator and learner
Educational Level
  • High School
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

HS-ESS3-3 Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.

Clarification Statement: Examples of factors that affect the management of natural resources include costs of resource extraction and waste management, per-capita consumption, and the development of new technologies. Examples of factors that affect human sustainability include agricultural efficiency, levels of conservation, and urban planning.

Assessment Boundary: Assessment for computational simulations is limited to using provided multi-parameter programs or constructing simplified spreadsheet calculations.

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
Students identify which type of seafood is the most sustainable using the Environmental Working Group’s seafood eating guide (http://www.ewg.org/research/ewgs-good-seafood-guide) for them based on their weight, age, and gender. This information is used by them to help choose a seafood from each of the five major fisheries to research. Students look into the sustainability of the chosen seafood using catch levels and consumption rates. Note, the suggested links are no longer available for this portion, but students can use the global production query tab (http://www.fao.org/figis/servlet/TabSelector) and aquatic species distribution map viewer (http://www.fao.org/figis/geoserver/factsheets/species.html) from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to complete the activity.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
Students are instructed to reflect on what they have learned in the lesson by writing using three prompts: 1. How do the locations of the world’s fisheries relate to levels of human population and seafood consumption? 2. Why would raising consumer awareness help to alleviate some of these problems? 3. Do you think you or your family would change your seafood choices if you knew more about these issues? When answering questions one and two, students need to use data from their mapping and sustainability portions of the activity (parts one, two, and three) to give in-depth answers explaining their reasoning. The activity could reach a stronger rating by asking students to evaluate fishing practices that are aimed at increasing sustainability. Some ideas could be found by looking at the U.S. Fishwatch website (http://www.fishwatch.gov/sustainable-seafood/managing-us-fisheries) .

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this science and engineering practice, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
This practice is done when students are identifying the five major fisheries on the map and identifying the key features of each that make them a good fishery. The Map Maker Kit is currently inactive, teachers can use the Global Aquaculture and Fisheries Map found here: http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/earth/image.php?image=f-fisheries-map-lg.gif&title=global%20aquaculture for students to complete the first activity. They use this map to help them with the sustainability portion of the activity in which they identify a seafood to consume from each of the five fisheries and look at that seafood's sustainability. The Students may need some guidance to take into account the features of the fishery's impact on the sustainability of their chosen seafood.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Students are instructed to think about relationships between fisheries, human populations, and seafood consumption but are not asked to think about what happens when there is a decline in the amount of seafood being produced by fisheries and that impact on human society. A suggested activity is to watch The End of the Line: Imagine a World Without Fish (http://endoftheline.com/) which would strengthen the disciplinary core idea.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
This activity focuses on sustainability of world fisheries. Students may need guidance to understand the potential costs and risks associated with overfishing. While a discussion about the global fisheries crisis is a part of this activity, a greater focus on this could strengthen this disciplinary core idea. Students must relate the location of fisheries with human population and seafood consumption, but not much attention is brought to fishing regulations. Additional activies like “Go Fish” (http://earthwatch.org/Portals/0/Downloads/Education/Lesson-Plans/Go_Fish.pdf.) or “Fishing for the Future” (http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/lesson_plans/%5Buser%5D/Fishing%20for%20the%20Future%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf) can increase student’s attention on fishing regulations.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource was not designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, but can be used to build towards it using the suggestions provided below.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Students will need guidance in order to fully reach this cross cutting concept. They will need to explore fishing techniques and regulations that help maintain fisheries. Students could be encouraged to look at technological changes to fishing as well as regulations on both United States and global levels. They should examine the impacts, both positive and negative, of technological advancements and regulatory changes.

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
Students will need guidance in order to fully reach this cross cutting concept. They will need to explore sustainability and the global fisheries crisis to see that some fishing practices can impact sustainability more than others. Students could be encouraged to look at technological changes to fishing as well as fishing regulations on both United States and global levels.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: This activity includes opportunities for students to use two practices, developing and using models and argumentation from evidence. While both practices are not fully covered, teachers could introduce supporting activities to increase the strength of the practices. To increase argumentation from evidence, students should be encouraged to do additional research about fishing practices and their impacts on sustainability. To increase developing and using models, students could include their additional research into fishing practices that increase sustainability. Some practices may increase sustainability in some identified fishery that may not work in another. The two disciplinary core ideas both require additional activities, like those suggested above, to fully cover them. Ideas from both disciplinary core ideas are present in the activity, but may require teacher guidance to be more explicit. Both cross cutting concepts are also implicit. It is up to the teacher to make these more implicit by encouraging students to do further research.

  • Instructional Supports: This activity includes opportunities for students to use all three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards to increase their understanding of the importance of regulation of natural resources through the viewpoint of fishing. Students could be directed to research further into ways humans have tried to reduce their impact on a fishery or type of seafood. The teacher’s guide includes a key to the five fisheries and possible key features as well as examples of seafood found in each fishery. Teachers are also instructed to explore National Geographic’s interactive mapmaker, MapMaker Kits 101, prior to creating the maps for student use. No suggestions are given to help struggling or high achieving students. Teachers could provide struggling students a type of seafood to investigate that have been greatly impacted by overfishing. For a list of fish that are listed overfishing or overfished stock, go to http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/fisheries_eco/status_of_fisheries/archive/2013/status_of_stocks_2013_web.pdf. Advanced learners could do research on a rebuilding success story, like black sea bass, and investigate a current rebuilding stock to analyze what techniques could improve the stock. The only extension activity mentioned to further student understanding is to view the video, The End of the Line: Imagine a World Without Fish.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: Student worksheets are included for this activity and suggested answers in the teacher’s guide. No example of student work is given. Suggestions for student discussion questions and possible responses are found in the directions. It is up to the teacher to rotate amongst student pairs to assess student understanding. Rubrics to assess the student’s written work are not included.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: Students will need a computer to do online research but that is the only interaction they have.