2.  In this simple laboratory activity we will look at fisheries and how they operate. We will look at the impact of technology on fish populations and think about decisions that need to be made to fix problems that might arise.

3.  Break up into groups of four.  You need to grab one bowl, 2 straws, a spoon, 10 large beans and 7 small beans.  Put all of the beans into the bowl.

4.  Number yourselves off in your group from 1 to 4.  This is the order of fishers in your groups.  For the first two seasons you will fish with just a straw (hook and line) while the second two seasons you will use a spoon (purse seine). If there is a fifth and six season one will use a straw while the other will use a spoon.  Fishing seasons will last for a minute each. And I will be the one that announces when it begins and ends.

5.  The fisher will keep their eyes closed during the fishing season (this is not a game between groups just be honest).  The rest of the group can give directions to help them find the right fish.  The large beans represent tuna the target species in this exercise.  The smaller beans represent bycatch.  You must catch at least one fish of value during the season to play in the next one.  A fish has to be removed from the bowl completely to be caught.

6. SeasonTuna CaughtTuna Value (Caught x 10,000) Bycatch Caught Fish Remaining 1 2 3 4 5 6

7.  After each season of fishing you will add one more bean into your ocean for each type of fish remaining (this represents reproduction by the fish that were not killed).  Curious question…did anyone accidently catch bycatch with the straw and tell their group mate to drop it back before taking it out?

8.  You will graph the number of fish of each type that are caught in the ocean after each season (one line for tuna and one line for bycatch).  You will graph the economic value of fisheries to the region by graphing the total value caught by all of the groups in the class for each season.

12.  What was the impact of technology on the fish populations in the exercise (what happened as you moved from hook and line to purse seines)? Discuss numbers of targeted and bycatch caught.  What was the impact on the economy of the region as the seasons progressed?  Predict: What would happen to the region if one group overfished it’s spot?  You are working as a fisheries manager, what would you do to create a sustainable fishery in the region (in other words one that could catch fish but have them not disappear). What kind of information would you need to do this job?