Fishing in the Future
Planning—Fishing in the Future
Summary: Complex changes in ocean conditions are affecting the distribution and availability of some commercial fish species. Fishers and fishery managers use science to adapt to and prepare for the future. In this topic guide, students explore online data tools designed to help fisheries adapt to climate change.
Concepts to teach:
- Crosscutting Concepts
- Stability and Change
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- LS2.C – Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience
- Science Practices
- Engaging in argument from evidence
Goals:
- Excess carbon dioxide in the environment is resulting in complex changes to the distribution and availability of some commercial fish species
- Fishers and fishery managers use science to help guide their practices
Standards: NGSS Performance Expectations
- MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
Specific Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- Examine data to determine trends in the distribution of a marine species
- Identify how science can help fisheries adapt to ecosystem changes
Activity Links and Resources:
- A Big Change—13 min Sea Grant video that addresses how climate change will affect West Coast fisheries practices.
- Online Data: Use the OceanAdapt webtool to track fish population distribution as the climate changes.
- Reading—R. Press, 2014. The OceanAdapt Website: Tracking Fish Populations as the Climate Changes. NOAA Fisheries describes how using the OceanAdapt tool will help fishers and fishery managers adapt
Assessment:
- Students use the OceanAdapt webtool to prepare a data-supported report on the trends of a commercial fish population. According to the data, has the species changed its distribution?
- How does the OceanAdapt data can help fishers and fishery managers, and what are the limits of the data?
- Analyze the NWFSC Forecast Tables. What is the current forecast for salmon returns in the Pacific Northwest, and what indicators were used to make this forecast?
