Overfishing: are there really plenty of other fish in the sea?

Spring 2010
www.massmarineeducators.org
Vol. 38, No. 4
Overfishing: are there really plenty of other fish in the sea?
Jason Clermont NEAQ
Even after centuries of intense fishing, the great stocks of codfish seemed inexhaustible to the humans who
preyed on them.
-John F. Richards
An Unending Frontier: An Environmental History of the Modern World
“You want to know about cod, I’ll tell you” He puts up his hand and pretends to whisper. “There ain’t no
more”
-Mark Kurlansky
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
The historical records are replete with stories and evidence of plentiful bounties of fish and shellfish.
Cape Cod gets its name from the ever popular fish, and historians say that it was wealth brought on partly
from fishing that allowed early American colonies the ability to gain independence from England. However,
modern times are quite different as many fish populations are a fraction of what they once were and many
fishermen (and women) are struggling to make a living. So what happened?
While not singularly responsible for population declines in marine species, overfishing has been
implicated as a main cause leading to the depletion of many commercially sought-after fish stocks around
the world (in this case, “stock” refers to a particular fish population that is more or less isolated from other
populations of the same species). Overfishing not
Inside This Issue
only impacts the fish stocks targeted by fishermen,
Overfishing
Page 1
but entire ecosystems can also be affected, along
MME Calendar
Page 2
with the fishing communities that depend on them.
President's Message
Page 3
From the Editor's Desk
Page 4
What is overfishing?
Oceans
and
Climate
Change
Page
15
Overfishing is the removal of more fish (or other
Dish
on
Fish
Page
16
marine species such as crabs, lobsters, shellfish,
New Model
Page 18
and even whales) than will allow for a population to
Maine Fisherman
Page 19
sustain itself at a healthy level. Over time,
Misunderstood Terms
Page 20
overfishing can cause populations to fall into a state
Classroom Activity
of continual decline. This can be due to continued
Overfishing
Page 13
fishing pressure alone or in combination with other
Future Events
factors such as competition from other species for
MME Art Contest
Page 9
food and other resources. Fisheries managers
WHOI 2010
Page 11
consider a stock overfished when the amount of fish
(Clermont - cont on page 5)
To access this journal on line, use the information on
the back of your membership card. If you have
difficulty, contact the editor at [email protected]
Next Issue of F&J will be posted on the
website June 14
Page 1
Massachusetts Marine Educators
c/o Bob Rocha
New Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill
New Bedford, MA 02740
www.massmarineeducators.org
Officers:
President
President-Elect
Past-President
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
Secretary
Executive Director
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Bob Rocha
William Andrake
Pat Harcourt
Gail Brookings
Linda McIntosh
Joe LaPointe
Jack Crowley
Howard Dimmick
[email protected]
Doug Corwine
New Bedford Whaling Museum
Swampscott High School
Waquoit Bay NERR
Educational Consultant
Swampscott High School
Retired
Educational Consultant
Science Education Consultants
[email protected]
Board of Directors:
Lydia Breen
Margaret Brumsted
Peg Collins
Howard Dimmick
Tracy Hajduk
Erin Hobbs
Marissa Thornton
Sue Wieber Nourse
Jayshree Oberoi
Sarah Hammond
Dr. Joel Rubin
Carolyn Sheild
Anne I. Smrcina
Kathleen Streck
Stoneham High School
Dartmouth High School
Educational Consultant
Educational Consultant
Marine Sanctuaries Program NOAA
Stoneham High School
Boston Public Schools
Tabor Academy
New England Aquarium
MIT Sea Grant
Stoughton Public Schools
Clarke Middle School, Lexington
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Educational Consultant
Directors Emeritus:
Alfred Benbenek
Elizabeth Edwards-Cabana
Katherine Callahan
George Duane
Gordon Estabrooks
Marge Inness
Frank Taylor
Barbara Waters
Calendar Spring 2010
March 17. 2010
High School Marine Science Symposium
Contact: Margaret Brumsted
May 1, 2010
34th Annual Meeting and Conference
Contact: Bill Andrake
May 12, 2010
MME Board Meeting
Contact: Anne Smrcina
Retired
Educational Consultant
Educational Consultant
Retired
Boston Latin School
Educational Consultant
Educational Consultant
Educational Consultant
UMass Dartmouth
[email protected]
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
[email protected]
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
[email protected]
To access this journal on line, use the information on the back of your membership card. If you have
Page 2
difficulty, contact the editor at [email protected]
President's Message
This issue of F&J focuses on sustainability. Depending on the genre being
discussed, this term can mean a variety of things. For our purposes, we’ll use the
EPA’s definition, “The traditional definition of sustainability calls for polices and
strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
Long gone are the days when we could harvest whales, cod or tuna without
thinking about future populations of those species. Our ability to find and remove
those individuals has outpaced their ability to create offspring to replace those losses.
These three organisms exist in our oceans at a fraction of their original numbers. Unfortunately, the problem
doesn’t stop there. According to a 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization:
* 52% of fish stocks are fully exploited
* 20% are moderately exploited
* 17% are overexploited
* 7% are depleted
* 1% is recovering from depletion
Based on these numbers, it is easy to draw the conclusion that we have indeed compromised the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.
That being said, I’d like to highlight examples that show that humans are capable of harvesting food
items at a sustainable level. This is as important for the families and industries involved as it is for the
animals.
For the past few years the City of New Bedford has held the distinction of being the highest ranked U.S.
fishing port in terms of the dollar value of its landings. This is because the number one product landed and
sold is the sea scallop, Plagopecten magellanicus. The long-term success of this fishery and expectations
for a positive future are due in large part to the research performed by University of Massachusetts at
Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology. Visual surveys of the sea floor proved the
presence of large numbers of full grown scallops in closed areas. By following a rotating schedule of
opening and closing scallop areas, scallop populations are allowed to stabilize and increase and the
scallopers and associated industries are able to stay in business. The other crucial development is the new
level of trust and cooperation between fishermen and scientists, two factions that typically agreed to
disagree.
In a slightly different example of science blending with ‘the people on the ground’, scientists respectful of
traditional knowledge teamed up with the Inupiat people of the North Slope of Alaska to disprove the
conclusions of regulators who showed a complete disregard for centuries of shared experience. The Inupiat
have been sustainably harvesting bowhead whales for centuries. Their practices have never been a threat
to the population of bowheads. They take only what they need, use as much of the whale as possible and
thank the animals for giving themselves to the people. Inupiat rely on hunted animals for the majority of
their sustenance, due to the very short summers in the Arctic Circle. They are able to pick berries on the
tundra but there’s no way to grow crops.
However, they nearly had their hunt taken away from them due to the overharvesting done by
commercial whalers, primarily between 1850 and 1910. Bowhead numbers recovered slowly. Regulators in
the mid-1970s dropped in, looked for the whales in the wrong places, came to the erroneous conclusion
that there were only 3,000 left (the number was closer to 8,000), and cut off the subsistence hunts. It took
some creative science and a new level of listening between natives and sympathetic researchers, but they
got their hunt back. Bowhead numbers continue to grow. Current estimates range between 10,000-13,000
in the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas population, with overall estimates reaching 20,000.
Examples of the spirit of cooperation for a more sustainable method of living exist everywhere, not just
on the water. In the southeastern part of MA a three day gathering called Bioneers by the Bay convenes in
late October. Organized by the Marion Institute, this series of workshops, presentations and celebrations
(President - cont on page 4)
Page 3
(President - cont from page 3)
involves experts, novices and everyone in between in learning to live more lightly on our planet.
Finding time to teach these important principles, when mandated Frameworks limit your lesson-planning
flexibility, is a challenge. I struggle with it in my non-formal setting. But, imparting these life lessons will
make your students better prepared to face the challenges of sharing precious resources with a growing
local and global population.
Bob Rocha
President, Massachusetts Marine Educators
From the Editor’s Desk
In this issue of F&J, we feature the topic of Sustainability. This term can be
widely interpreted, and in out case, we are looking at the long term effects on
the oceans of the world’s demand for seafood. Pictures of fishermen in the
Pacific cutting fins off sharks and dumping the fish back into the ocean to die are
not uncommon, as they try to fill the demand for Shark Fin Soup. We see more
and more “farm raised” fish on the counters in the markets. Is this a good form of seafood, or does farm
raised fish create new problems for the world’s oceans?
Jason Clermont of the New England Aquarium has prepared the lead article on Overfishing. He deals
with the issue of the fish populations in the ocean, and the need to regulate the catch to be sure the fish do
not disappear. In summer and fall 2009, a visit to a seafood market in New England found lobsters on sale
for under $5 per pound. What are the reasons for this? We have an article about the Maine Fishing
cooperative and one on the MA north shore which began this past summer.
You will also find a Sustainability Article in this issue that can be used with students in grades 3-9.
Another article deals with Oceans and Climate Change. This is a tie in with a future issue of F&J that will go
into this in greater detail. You will find reference to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch programs
for the US. At their website can be found the guides for all of the regions of the US.
Seafood is an important part of our diet, but we need to look at which populations are in danger and
which are maintaining their numbers. Scallops have suddenly been more plentiful because of a program to
limit their catch a few years ago in parts of the Atlantic. This resulted in a change for the population to build
itself up again.
As you read this issue of F&J, the High School Marine Sciences Symposium is but a few days away. In
the centerfold of this issue is the Annual Art Contest Announcement, and the Registration form for the
WHOI Conference. Check these events out in detail on our website by clicking on the links on the
homepage. The HSMSS Program is on line, and more information on the Art Contest will be found under
the Contest Link. As the WHOI Program comes together, you will find more information on the program on
the site.
The National Earth Science Teachers Association, In conjunction with the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institute and NOAA have prepared the spring issue of the Earth Scientist which is a special 56 page issue
on the oceans and research at Woods Hole along with a large fold in poster for classrooms. We are working
with WHOI and NOAA to get these copies into as many teachers hands as possible. A copy will be sent to
EACH MME member early in March at no cost. Enjoy this issue!
Howard Dimmick
Editor
Page 4
(Clermont - cont from page 1)
in a population falls below previously set target levels such as maximum sustainable yield or “MSY”. These
technical definitions may differ from country to country, but the consequences of overfishing are being felt
all over the world as well as here in New England. Some examples of fish stocks which have been depleted
due to overfishing in waters off the New England coast are Atlantic cod, bluefin tuna, yellowtail flounder, and
Atlantic halibut.
The causes of overfishing
The numbers tell the story – according to a 2008 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, 28% of the world’s fisheries are either overfished or are recovering from overfishing, and an
additional 52% are being fished at their maximum capacity (also known as fully exploited). So what causes
a fish stock to become overfished? Is it simply caused by removing too many fish? While on the surface this
may seem the likely case, it is actually much more complex. Many factors may contribute, either
independently or in concert, to a fish population becoming overfished.
Fisheries that remove large percentages of juvenile fish (fish that have not reached reproductive age)
are more at risk of overfishing than those that only remove adult fish because without adequate
reproduction the population cannot sustain itself. The biology of the species being targeted is also
important. Species such as anchovies, sardines, and squid that grow fast, reach reproductive age quickly,
and have a lot of offspring are generally more resilient to high levels of fishing pressure because they can
more easily replenish their populations than slow growing, and/or late maturing fish species.
Another factor that is often cited as a major contributor to overfishing is the rapid advancement of
technology. Humans have been fishing for centuries, but it wasn’t until modern advances in technology that
our ability to catch fish has outpaced many fish species’ ability to reproduce and replenish their populations.
Rapid technological advancement is seen as a major contributor to progress, but for many populations of
marine species it has had a markedly negative impact. The advent of steam, and then powerful diesel
engines allowed fishermen to fish with large nets, replacing traditional hand lines (think of a fishing pole
without the pole) and other hook-and-line gear. This newer method of fishing, known as trawling or
dragging, as large nets are dragged across the seafloor, allowed fishermen to scoop up literally tons of fish
Atl. Cod landings: Landings (catches) of Atlantic cod in the U.S. fishery from 1980-2008. Landings decreased substantially due to
overfishing in the 1970s and 1980s. Data from: http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/commercial/landings/annual_landings.html
at a time. In New England, the rise of the trawling vessel is often cited as a reason for the decline in cod
stocks and other groundfish. Other advancements such as sonar fish finders and advanced communication
equipment gave fishermen a substantial advantage in finding and catching fish. Greater efficiency has
(Clermont - cont on page 6)
Page 5
(Clermont - cont from page 5)
ultimately led to many fisheries becoming overcapitalized, meaning
there are simply too many fishermen and too few fish.
In many areas around the world, illegal, unreported and
unregulated (IUU) fishing contributes greatly to the problem of
overfishing. Nations are tasked with enforcing regulations around
their coastlines as many nations, including the U.S., claim exclusive
rights to fish in their territorial waters. This can be difficult, even for a
country as developed as the U.S. However, it is particularly difficult
for developing nations which often lack sufficient resources to enforce
fishing regulations, if those regulations even exist. IUU fishing can
take a number of forms, including fishing without permission or out of
season; using forbidden types of fishing gear; not adhering to catch
quotas; catching fish that are too small; or the non-reporting and
underreporting of catches and bycatch (for an explanation of bycatch,
see effects of overfishing section). If catches from IUU fishing go
unaccounted for, it can create a problem for biologists when they
attempt to estimate the effect of fishing on a particular ecosystem.
Effects of overfishing
Deckload: A load of pollock on the deck
By removing reproductive potential, overfishing can exacerbate
of a trawling vessel in Alaska.
other effects on many marine species. Because their reproductive
Photo by Jason Clermont
potential is reduced, overfished populations are often less resilient to
additional stressors such as warming ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, pollution, and invasive
species. Depletion of fish populations can also have cascading effects up and down trophic levels.
Removals of large quantities of fish can create a lack of prey for other marine species, including other fish
species, sharks, as well as marine mammals. Also, as certain fish populations become depleted, it can
allow species they fed on to become wildly abundant – leading to a severe imbalance in an ecosystem. This
effect is being seen in the mid-Atlantic where scientists believe the depletion of sharks has led to a sudden
increase in cownose ray populations in the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere on the east coast.
Fishermen also often catch other, unwanted
species known as “bycatch”. While the amount and
type of bycatch varies greatly depending on where
and how much fishing is taking place, the time of
year, and the type of fishing gear being used (bottom
trawl gear is known for having particularly high rates
of bycatch), nearly all fisheries have some type of
bycatch. As stocks decline, fishermen are often
forced to fish longer and in different places which
can lead to even more bycatch. Sometimes this
bycatch is kept and able to be sold and sometimes it
is thrown back (often dead or dying) either because
it cannot be kept due to management restrictions, or
because it is an unsellable species. Even sea
turtles, dolphins, seals, and whales can all end up as
Steaming to Grounds: The crew readies the net of a trawler as bycatch in certain fisheries.
they head out to the fishing grounds in the Bering Sea.
Along with the ecological impact of overfishing,
Photo by Jason Clermont
the resulting decline in fish stocks can have drastic
socioeconomic effects on people and communities that are dependent on fishing. Declines in many fish
populations have forced federal fishery managers to impose strict limits and restrictions on the fishing
fleets, limiting where, when, and how often they can fish. The effect of overfishing can be seen in many
once-thriving fishing communities all around the U.S., as businesses that supported numerous fishingrelated jobs are being shuttered and waterfront property is being sold off to developers. Multi-generational
(Clermont - cont on page 7)
Page 6
(Clermont - cont from page 6)
fishermen, particularly in hard-hit regions such as New England, are finding it harder to make a living, and a
way of life is slowly disappearing as more and more people are forced to leave the fishing industry.
What is being done?
Overfishing is one of the main issues tackled by fish management scientists and policy makers. In the
U.S., millions of dollars are spent each year to assess fish populations and recommend quota levels to
keep fish stocks healthy (or to allow them to recover from previous periods of overfishing). However,
fisheries science is complex and many factors that influence fish populations are not well understood by
scientists. New information and techniques for understanding fisheries are being discovered all of the time
which helps to more accurately predict how fishing will affect different stocks of fish.
There are several strategies employed by fisheries managers in an attempt to prevent or curb overfishing.
Some of these approaches work better in certain fisheries than others, and many fisheries are governed by
more than one management scheme. Some examples of restrictions or regulations used include:
restrictions on the type of gear that can be used, closed areas (also known as Marine Protected Areas or
MPAs); seasonal closures or limits to the amount of days fishing is allowed; allocation of quota to individual
fishermen or fishing co-operatives (also known as IFQs or catch shares); limits on entry to the fishery to
prevent further overcapitalization; and, in extreme cases, a moratorium or complete closure of a fishery.
Engelhard 03: Shrimp vessels sit in port in Engelhard, NC. Photo by Jason Clermont
The good news
The news is not all bad for fish populations that have been subject to overfishing. For example, striped
bass populations plummeted in the late 1970s and early 1980s, causing federal and state management
agencies to impose a temporary closure in fishery. While not popular with fishermen, the strategy seems to
have worked – striped bass populations in the Chesapeake Bay and elsewhere have recovered. Another
success story lies in the haddock stocks off the New England coast. After years of overfishing, careful
management and good reproductive success in 2002-2003 have allowed the recovery of both the Gulf of
Maine and Georges Bank stocks. There is also mounting evidence that many fish stocks in countries that
have good fisheries management and enforcement of regulations are stable and in some instances actually
increasing.
Summary
As global populations continue to grow, seafood will play an ever-increasing role in feeding the world’s
people. It is imperative that these resources are used in a responsible, sustainable manner to ensure that
there is continued supply for future generations. Curbing overfishing is also important to preserve the
delicate balance in our oceans’ ecosystems, particularly in the face of other environmental stresses, such
as climate change, ocean acidification, invasive species, and pollution. In some places strides are being
made
(Clermont - cont on page 8)
Page 7
(Clermont - cont from page 7)
to prevent overfishing and to allow overfished stocks to recover. However, because overfishing is such an
important issue facing our world’s marine ecosystems, there is still much work left to be done.
Additional Resources
New England Aquarium Sustainable seafood programs
The Last Fish Tale (book) by Mark Kurlansky
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World (book) by Mark Kurlansky
Overfishing lesson plans from Lesson Planet: http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=overfishing
NOAA FishWatch: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/
good information on US fisheries as well as overfishing definitions used by fisheries managers
About the Author: Overfishing: are there really plenty of other fish in the sea?
Jason Clermont is a conservation associate at the New England Aquarium where he
does research on issues facing wild-capture fisheries around the world. He
previously worked as a research associate at Scripps Institute of Oceanography in
La Jolla, CA, as well as a fisheries biologist in North Carolina and Alaska and. Jason
has logged extensive sea time collecting physical and biological data while aboard
research vessels, as well as commercial fishing vessels.
Governments, as Well as Consumers, Vital to Sustainable Seafood Efforts
Although consumer-focused seafood campaigns have proven
successful in alerting the public to overfishing and have helped
provide protection for some species, their ongoing usefulness is
challenged by, among other things, unclear and unreliable
sourcing. According to a new overview in the journal Oryx, "There
is simply too much cheating in the marketplace (e.g.,
mislabelling), too much misleading information, too many
inconsistencies and, so far, too few results," argue Jennifer
Jacquet of the University of British Columbia and colleagues.
Jacquet and co-authors propose that future and ongoing
market-based efforts should be goal-oriented—for example,
setting specific national and international consumption
MSC Label: The Marine Stewardship Council
developed a label to help consumers be informed as to targets—and could be more effective in reaching those goals by
which seafood products are considered sustainably
focusing on large retailers rather than individual consumers.
caught. Marine Stewardship Council/Marine Photobank
Additionally, they argue it is important that consumer campaigns
not be conducted in isolation from policy measures: "Even within a market-based approach there is a need
to ensure that information is correct and that conservation efforts are not obstructed by harmful subsidies,"
they write. "In other words, working with consumers and retailers also brings the imperative of working with
governments."
Source: Jacquet, J., et al. 2010. Conserving wild fish in a sea of market-based efforts. Oryx 44(1):45-56.
Contact: Jennifer Jacquet, Sea Around Us Project, University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre. E-Mail:
[email protected]. Daniel Pauly, a co-author on this paper and principal investigator of the Sea Around Us Project, is the
keynote speaker at this year's Seafood Summit, which begins January 31, 2010. See www.seafoodchoices.org/seafoodsummit.php
for more information.
From SeaWeb
Page 8
Get complete information at the MME website
Page 9
Page 10
(WHOI - cont on page 12)
Page 11
(WHOI - cont from page 11)
Page 12
CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
Overfishing / Sustainable Fishing Activity
Adapted and modified from California Academy of Sciences Sustainable fishing in the Philippines:
http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/resources/lessons/sustainable-fishing-in-the-philippines/
Originally adapted from Fishing for the Future in Curriculum Guide 2002. Retrieved from
www.facingthefuture.org.
Grade level: Grades 3-9
Time frame
This activity can be performed in one 30-50 minute class period.
MA Science Frameworks
Life Science (Biology) - Grade 3-5:
LS 7. Give examples of how changes in the environment (drought, cold) have caused some plants and
animals to die or move to new locations (migration).
LS 10. Give examples of how organisms can cause changes in their environment to ensure survival.
Explain how some of these changes may affect the ecosystem.
Life Science (Biology) - Grade 6-8:
LS 12. Relate the extinction of species to a mismatch of adaptation and the environment.
Biology - High school:
Ecology 6.2 Analyze changes in population size and biodiversity (speciation and extinction) that result from
the following: natural causes, changes in climate, human activity, and the introduction of invasive, nonnative species.
Objectives
Students will see how unregulated fishing can lead to depletion of fish stocks. They will also have an
opportunity to discuss the factors that may contribute to the depletion and come up with ways (regulations)
to better manage their resource.
Overview
* Each student will be a “fisher” whose livelihood depends on catching fish.
* Each piece of popcorn represents a fish.
* Each fisher must catch at least two fish in each round to survive to the next fishing season.
* When the fishing season begins, students must hold their hands behind their backs and use the “fishing
rod” (straw) to suck “fish” (pieces of popcorn) from the “ocean” (plate) and deposit them into their “boat”
(cup).
* The fish remaining in the ocean after each fishing season represent the reproductive population, and
thus one or two new fish will be added for every fish left in the ocean (plate).
* After each round, fishers must record their catch in their Fishing Log.
Materials
* two or three bags of popped, plain popcorn (amount depends on class size)
* small paper cups (1 per student)
* large paper plates (1 per group)
* spoons (1 per group)
* straws (1 per student)
* watch (for timing the activity)
* Fishing Log (1 per student)
(Activity - cont on page 14)
Page 13
(Activity - cont from page 13)
Procedure
- Divide the class into groups of three or four students and have them come up with a name for the area or
reef where they fish.
- Give each group one plate and each student one cup, one straw, and one copy of the Fishing Log.
- Put 30 popcorn pieces on each group’s plate. These are the fish that inhabit their fishing area or reef.
- Remind students that all fishers fish at the same time and must keep their hands behind their backs and
wait for a signal to start fishing.
- Give students 20 seconds for the first “season” of fishing. Note: You can change the time allotted for
each season to get the required effect. For example, if students are not depleting their stocks fast
enough, you may increase the “season” to 30 seconds or if they are depleting the stocks too fast, you
can decrease the time.
- After the first round, have each fisher count his or her catch (fish in their cup), the total bycatch for the
table (dropped before reaching the cup), and the total fish left in the ocean (plate). Have them record
the data in their Fishing Log. Note: Bycatch is any fish (or other creature) that is unintentionally wasted.
In the game, a “fish” that leaves the ocean but is not placed into the “boat” is considered bycatch and
cannot be put back into the ocean or counted as catch.
- In order to survive to the next fishing season, fishers must catch at least two fish. Fishers who did not
catch the minimum amount must sit out for the following round.
- Add one or two new fish for every fish left on the plate, explaining that the fish reproduced in between the
seasons.
- Play a second round and have students record catches on the Fishing Log.
- For the third round, tell students that some fishers have decided to use other “gear types” to increase
their catch. Give a spoon to one fisher from each group (use of the spoon represents trawling).
- Continue playing more rounds until one group runs out of fish. Note: If students are not depleting their
stocks fast enough, you may give more fishers spoons.
- When one group runs out of fish, ask them what they would do in the real world if they caught all of the
fish who inhabited their surrounding waters. (One option is to switch to a different profession, but
another option is to move to another area to fish.) Allow students to “invade” other groups when their
area is depleted, but don’t tell them that they can do this beforehand. Fishers may either go as a group
or they may disperse separately to other areas.
- Repeat fishing, recording, and replenishing fish stocks until all (or most) groups fish out their areas. The
Fishing Log allows for up to six seasons.
Conduct a discussion about the concept of sustainability. If any group did not completely deplete their
fish discuss why this happened (less people fishing, etc.) Ask why sustainability might be an important goal
for a community and why it might be difficult to achieve that goal. Have each group of students brainstorm
ways that they might have made the fisheries more sustainable. Some possible ways are catch limits (a
certain number of popcorn pieces), marine reserves (an area of the plate where fishing is not allowed),
bans against trawling (no use of spoons).
Extensions:
- Have each group decide on a plan to make their fishery more sustainable.
- Conduct another six rounds (or less) of fishing, using the sustainability plans that the students
developed. Because students know how to play, these rounds will go faster. Have students record their
new season catches and compare them to the trend seen in the previous seasons.
* Another modification to this activity can be the introduction of different “species” (e.g. M&M’s). These
species can be more valuable (although more difficult to catch) or incur a penalty if more than one are
caught.
Page 14
Marine Science in the News
Oceans Reveal Further Impacts of Climate Change
ScienceDaily (Feb. 5, 2010) — The increasing acidity of the world's oceans -- and that acidity's growing
threat to marine species -- are definitive proof that the atmospheric carbon dioxide that is causing climate
change is also negatively affecting the marine environment, says Antarctic marine biologist Jim McClintock,
Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Biology.
"The oceans are a sink for the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere," says McClintock,
who has spent more than two decades researching the marine species off the coast of Antarctica. Carbon
dioxide is absorbed by oceans, and through a chemical process hydrogen ions are released to make
seawater more acidic.
"Existing data points to consistently increasing oceanic acidity, and that is a direct result of increasing
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere; it is incontrovertible," McClintock says. "The ramifications for many
of the organisms that call the water home are profound."
A substance's level of acidity is measured by its pH value; the lower the pH value, the more acidic is the
substance. McClintock says data collected since the pre-industrial age indicates the mean surface pH of
the oceans has declined from 8.2 to 8.1 units with another 0.4 unit decline possible by century's end. A
single whole pH unit drop would make ocean waters 10 times more acidic, which could rob many marine
organisms of their ability to produce protective shells -- and tip the balance of marine food chains.
"There is no existing data that I am aware of that can be used to debate the trend of increasing ocean
acidification," he says.
McClintock and three co-authors collected and reviewed the most recent data on ocean acidification at
high latitudes for an article in the December 2009 issue of Oceanography magazine, a special issue that
focuses on ocean acidification worldwide. McClintock also recently published research that revealed
barnacles grown under acidified seawater conditions produce weaker adult shells.
Antarctica as the Ground Zero for Climate Change
McClintock says the delicate balance of life in the waters that surround the frozen continent of Antarctica
is especially susceptible to the effects of acidification. The impact on the marine life in that region will serve
as a bellwether for global climate-change effects, he says.
"The Southern Ocean is a major global sink for carbon dioxide. Moreover, there are a number of unique
factors that threaten to reduce the availability of abundant minerals dissolved in polar seawater that are
used by marine invertebrates to make their protective shells," McClintock says.
"In addition, the increased acidity of the seawater itself can literally begin to eat away at the outer
surfaces of shells of existing clams, snails and other calcified organisms, which could cause species to die
outright or become vulnerable to new predators."
One study McClintock recently conducted with a team of UAB researchers revealed that the shells of
post-mortem Antarctic marine invertebrates evidenced erosion and significant loss of mass within only five
weeks under simulated acidic conditions.
McClintock says acidification also could exert a toll on the world's fisheries, including mollusks and
crustaceans. He adds that the potential loss of such marine populations could greatly alter the oceans' longstanding food chains and produce negative ripple effects on human industries or food supplies over time.
"So many fundamental biological processes can be influenced by ocean acidification, and the change in
the oceans' makeup in regions such as Antarctica are projected to occur over a time period measured in
decades," McClintock says.
"Evolution simply may be unable to keep up, because it typically takes marine organisms longer periods,
hundreds or even thousands of years to naturally adapt," he says. "But ocean acidification is simply
happening too quickly for many species to survive unless we reverse the trend of increasing
anthropogenically generated carbon dioxide that is in large part driving climate change."
Adapted from materials provided by University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Page 15
The Dish on Fish: Steps Towards Sustainability
by Clare Leschin-Hoar (edible Boston)
Reprinted with Permission
When chef Chris Parsons decided to add fresh sardines to the menu at his Winchester-based seafood
restaurant Catch, he had to slip them into his tasting menu lineup, or send them out as treats from the
kitchen to his regular customers. He was certain the restaurant wouldn’t sell enough of the sardines to list
them as an entrée or appetizer on their own, a status frequently given to more familiar fish like yellowfin
tuna or salmon.
Never mind that sardines are actually tasty, that they’re capable of reproducing rapidly, that they are jampacked with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, or that they would very likely be the most sustainable choice on
Parsons’ menu that evening. The fact is, the sardines were a hard sell, while the Norwegian farm-raised
salmon was not.
As a business owner, it’s a dilemma that Parsons faces each time he chooses what fish will appear on
his menu. It’s a balancing act between what’s best for his 48-seat restaurant and his ability to make
customers’ mouths water, versus what environmentalists tell us could be harmful to fish stocks and the
health of our oceans.
Skate is an excellent example of that complexity. Once considered a trash fish, skate now appears
frequently on menus throughout Boston, in part, because it’s being substituted for fish like cod or haddock,
whose populations have declined. The waters along the Northeastern seaboard are home to a variety of
skate species (which vary in population size), and many are still unassessed by environmental groups.
Skate are slow to mature and reproduce, which makes them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. The
Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has distributed 32 million Seafood Watch pocket guides, (Northeast edition
on the next page) lists skate in the red “avoid” column
But ask Parsons’ fishmonger, Ian Davison of Constitution Seafood, about skate, and his response is,
“Skate? They litter the shores here.” Admittedly, Davison is not a fan of the pocket guides published by
environmental groups. He says there are too many variables for blanket “best choices” or “avoid” labels,
and that first-hand knowledge of where the fish comes from is more accurate, and is part of the value he
brings to his restaurant customers.
“I know the source on everything I buy,” says Davison. “Because of COOL labeling I know country of
origin and method of capture. I know if it’s line caught or drag netted or seine netted or hook-and-line
caught. All that information has to come with the product that I buy.” For Parsons, Davison says he is
careful to purchase skate that are large in size, locally caught and are bycatch themselves. Which leaves
an eater like me scratching my head over whether the skate was a sustainable choice or not.
“Whether they are caught as bycatch or targeted by fishermen, most are caught with bottom trawls,
which cause serious damage to seafloor habitats. So, regardless of whether they are locally caught and
what size they are, Seafood Watch recommends that consumers and businesses avoid purchasing skates,”
responds Geoffrey Shester, senior science manager for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood
Initiative. For many chefs, it’s engaged purveyors like Davison who turn out to be a prime source of day-today information.
“In the past year, there’s definitely been a trend towards sustainability,” says Davison. “Chefs now ask
me for a list of sustainable products. They ask me where do I get it from? Is it on the Seafood Watch guide?
Five years ago, no one cared if it were organic or sustainable.”
Part of the problem, of course, is that fish is complicated, and diners looking for a pleasant evening out
aren’t always interested in the politics of what’s plated before them. A single species of fish can go by
myriad names, and either by accident or through unscrupulous practices fish are frequently mislabeled.
Where a fish was caught (e.g., Atlantic or Pacific) and the fishing gear used to catch it are important too. A
local fish like haddock can be considered sustainable when caught using a hook-and-line method, but is not
considered sustainable when it’s been snagged by a bottom trawler. Local halibut is another example.
Pacific halibut is considered well managed, while Atlantic halibut (also listed as East Coast halibut) is
considered in dire need of relief. Stocks are extremely depleted and are not expected to rebuild in the near
future. But unless detailed information is listed on the menu, or the wait staff is extremely well versed,
(Dish - cont on page 17)
Page 16
(Dish - cont from page 18)
customers who attempt to order their meal with a crystal clear conscience might be better off ordering the
pasture-raised chicken instead.
There is good news in our local waters, however. Fish management efforts have meant that some stocks
like haddock and redfish (also known as ocean perch) are rebounding, and stripped bass, which saw a
deep decline in the 1980s, is commercially available in Massachusetts. (In Rhode Island and Maine,
however, it remains a recreational fish only.)
This is the Northeast edition of the Sustainable Seafood Guide for January 2010 Produced by the Monterey Bay
Aquarium. You can download updated editions of this guid and others at
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx
Page 17
A NEW MODEL: COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED FISHERIES
(edible Boston)
In the spring of 2009, Boston welcomed its first official community-supported fishery (CSF) program.
Nearly 1,100 customers signed up with the Cape Ann Fresh Catch CSF, a collaboration between the
Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, MIT Sea Grant and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance.
From the start, local blogs and foodie websites like Chowhounds lit up with the news. The concept was
simple: Like its land-based cousin community-supported agriculture (CSA), members pay for their shares
up front, shouldering the risk of an empty net with the fishermen, and in return collect their weekly portion of
wildcaught groundfish like haddock, flounder, hake, dabs, pollock, redfish and grey sole. Members flocked
to filleting demonstrations and swapped recipes and preservation tips. For many, working with a fresh,
whole fish with scales, bones and fins rather than a pristine plastic rapped white fillet was an eye-opening
experience.
But a few weeks into the program, some public grumbling could be heard. Members were concerned
their weekly shares were disproportionately made up of cod, a fish that’s faced massive population
declines, and one that many believe might never fully recover. For some members who joined the CSF to
eat locally and more sustainably, the frequent appearance of cod in their weekly share became hard to
swallow. Other concerns swirled around the trawling gear the group’s fishermen were using.
“We had a few challenges,” says Niaz Dorry, executive director for the Northwest AtlanticMarine Alliance,
and CSF organizer. “We assumed that we could predict what would happen in the ocean, but the water
temperature and the migrating cod stocks meant shareholders mostly got cod.We could have gone to
bigger boats that went further out [in the ocean], but the principle of the CSF was to work with boats that
have a smaller footprint.”
Dorry says that while they are not mandating a change in fishing gear for the eight participating
fishermen, it does remain an ongoing conversation. “The response the fishermen got from the shareholders
gave them confidence they could make changes [to the gear] because there’s a body of people supporting
what they do,” says Dorry. This winter, the CSF is adding shrimp shares and will continue offering a fish
subscription, though the details are still being worked out. So is the CSF model sustainable?
“Locally caught seafood is preferable from a carbon footprint perspective because it doesn’t have to be
shipped so far, and I think the CSFs can connect consumers with local fishermen and potentially reduce
wasteful bycatch,” says Shester. “But just because it is locally caught or caught with small boats does not
guarantee it is sustainable. Cod schools. You can still catch a big catch of it, even though it’s been vastly
overfished.”
Peter Baker, manager of New England Fisheries Campaign for the Pew Charitable Trusts, agrees that
the CSF is a good start, but encourages members to continue the conversation about fishing gear. “Ask the
CSF how they handle the fish and what sort of gear are they using? If it’s hook and line, you’re getting more
value, from my point of view, than a fish that’s caught using a dragger. Freshness matters, but so does
using sustainable gear,” says Baker.
Sustainable gear has been a hot topic in the nation’s first official CSF. Launched in 2007,Maine’s Port
Clyde Fresh Catch began as a shrimp only CSF with 29 subscribers. It has since expanded to hundreds of
subscribers with multiple pickup locations, and offers Maine shrimp, haddock, cod, flounder, grey sole,
monkfish, pollock, redfish and halibut.
To address concerns, the Maine cooperative now requires that fishermen members agree to use more
conservation-oriented gear. Glen Libby, the cooperative president and fisherman, sold one of his permits to
a newly established permit bank, allowing for research that includes testing square and diamond nets with
6.5-inch and 7-inch mesh as a way to lower bycatch discard rates and to reduce their impact on seafloor
habitat. Larger mesh openings mean more juvenile fish can escape.
Page 18
Maine Fishermen Think Outside the Net
By Braddock Spear Sustainable Ocean Project
Fishermen are among the most innovative people in the world. They have to be in order to make a living
and survive as an industry. The Midcoast Fishermen’s Cooperative is changing the way they do business
with an eye toward sustainability of their livelihood and the resources on which they depend. SOP sat down
with Gary Libby, a member of the Cooperative, to talk about new approaches they are taking.
Based out of Port Clyde, Maine, the co-op of 12 fishing vessels has developed an ocean-to-table
program where the fishermen sell fish directly to their customers. The program, Port Clyde Fresh Catch, is
modeled after the increasingly successful farm-to-table programs broadly called Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA). Customers including local residents and restaurants subscribe to the Community
Supported Fisheries (CSF) by buying shares of the fishermen’s catch. Each week customers are
guaranteed a predetermined poundage of fish or shellfish caught fresh from the Gulf of Maine. Fishermen
gain from this arrangement by cutting out the middleman and getting more profit for their catch. Consumers
benefit by receiving traceable wild-caught seafood at reduced prices.
By SOP’s judgment, not all seafood sold through the Fresh Catch program can be considered
sustainable. However, the Cooperative’s fishermen are doing their part to work toward this goal. They have
experimented with and now voluntarily use fishing gear that minimizes bycatch of small fish and non-target
species. The group also lobbies for policies that are designed to achieve sustainability while allowing their
members to continue to earn a living.
By getting higher returns out of less fish, the Cooperative is promoting a model that can help save our
oceans. They couldn’t have set up the Fresh Catch program without the help of local non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) such as the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance and Island Institute. Partnerships like
these and CSFs are popping up along the coasts of the United States. SOP is on the lookout for other winwin situations like the one in Port Clyde.
Page 19
Top 10 Misunderstood Terms in Fisheries Management
Sustainable Ocean Project
Fishery/fisheries: The industry or industries dedicated to the catching, processing, and
selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals; not a hatchery.
Management/Managers: Taking action to regulate the behavior of fishermen and therefore
affect a fish population to achieve certain objectives, such as maximizing the harvest of fish
while allowing the population to replenish itself. Management action includes, for example,
setting fishery regulations such as catch quotas or closed seasons. Managers are the
decision makers who set the objectives and set regulations.
Fishery Management Plan: A plan to achieve specific management goals for a fishery. The document
contains data, analyses, and tools used to manage a fishery.
Fish Stocks: Populations or subpopulations of a fish species that show the same life history characteristics
and are subject to similar regulations ; not simmering fish bones and onions for 30 minutes.
Overfished/depleted: A situation where a fish stock is harvested or fished below a point where it can
sustain itself at current fishing levels.
Bycatch: Any unintended fish caught in a fishery. The unintended fish could be the right species but wrong
size or it could be a non-target species. Most bycatch is released at sea dead or injured.
Fish Habitat: Areas of the ocean that are important to the growth and survival of a fish species.
Aquaculture: Also known as fish farming. Cultivating fish or shellfish species in a controlled environment. It
can be carried out inland, along the shore, and in the open ocean.
Ecosystem: A complex system of interactions between living organisms and their non-living environment.
Sustainable: Fishing and aquaculture activities can continue over the long-term without endangering the
ecosystem.
Massachusetts Marine Educators 34th Annual Conference
at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Saturday May 1st 2010
The program for the MME 34th Woods Hole Conference is starting to fall into place.Our speakers are
now set and they are as follows:
Dr. Richard Harbison from WHOI, will speak about the invasion of ctenophores from American waters
into the Black Sea which impacted marine communities there.Sometimes we forget that species native to
our waters are invasive to other areas of the world.
Dr. Judy Pedersonfrom the M.I.T. Sea Grant College Program.Dr Peterson is
one of the leading experts in the field of “marine invasives”,
Amber York and Dr. Scott Gallager also from WHOI will share their studies of invasive tunicates and their
impact on our benthic communities.
In the afternoon, we have an Oceanquest Cruise scheduled. Kathy Mullin will lead this field trip into
Nantucket Sound.A limited number of persons can be accommodated on this cruise.To make sure you are
on the cruise, send in your $10 fee with your registration form found in this issue of F&J or on line.
Take advantage of early registration for the conference.If you register before April 23, the registration fee
is $45.After that date the fee goes up to $55.And don’t forget – your conference fee INCLUDES your 200102011 MME Membership. We hope to see you all there.
Watch the MME website homepage for additional details as they are finalized.
To get a membership application, please go to
Page 20
http://www.massmarineeducators.org/membership.shtml