Welcome to Change is Simple’s Online Learning Platform!
Overview: In this lesson, students will learn about what the ‘tragedy of the commons’ is and how overfishing marine life harms the ocean environment. In this lesson, we will discuss what overfishing is, what is currently happening to fish across our oceans, and we will even become fishermen! Our hands-on activity will simulate a fishing community and we will get to witness first-hand what happens when we over-exploit our natural resources (and we will get to eat some tasty snacks!) Afterward, we are going to discuss how overfishing is an example of a concept known as the tragedy of the commons, and some ways we can protect our natural resources!
Grade Level: 4+
Theme: Natural Resources, consumption, sustainability
Supervision needed? No
Essential Questions:
What is the tragedy of the commons and why is it an important part of natural resource conservation?
Materials Needed:
Large bag of M&Ms, Skittles, or goldfish
Straws- preferably metal!!! (1 for each student)
A big plate to serve as our ocean
Small dishes or plates (1 for each student)
Paper (1 sheet for each student)
Markers (1 for each group)
Standards:
1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs
Today, we are going to learn all about overfishing! In this lesson, we will discuss what overfishing is, what is currently happening to fish across our oceans, and we will even become fishermen! Our hands-on activity will simulate a fishing community and we will get to witness first-hand what happens when we over-exploit our natural resources (and we will get to eat some tasty snacks!) Afterward, we are going to discuss how overfishing is an example of a concept known as the tragedy of the commons, and some ways we can protect our natural resources!
Please watch this Video so we can get started!
Hands-On Activity
Background
It is now time for us to become fishermen! This activity simulates overfishing to help participants understand what happens when resources are overexploited (overuse) without regulation. Normally this game would be played as a group, but today we can play it with anywhere from 2-4 people. Lets get the whole family involved!
Materials
Large bag of M&Ms, Skittles, or goldfish
Straws- preferably metal!!! (1 for each student)
A big plate to serve as our ocean
Small dishes or plates (1 for each student)
Paper (1 sheet for each student)
Markers (1 for each group)
Location
A table to fit four participants.
Directions
NOTE: Check for allergies and don't get candy with nuts.
Explain to participants that they are going to do an activity about resource exploitation. Have students sit around a table with a plate in the middle, this will serve as our ocean. Put 4 fish on the plate for each person participating . Provide each person with a straw and small dish. (If less people are playing the game, add more fish per person)
Explain that they are a fishing village, and each person is the head of his or her family. To provide for them for a year, they must collect at least two fish. However, they can collect as many as they want during the time allotted. To collect fish they must use the straws to suck the candy or goldfish up (emphasize that it is not sucked into the straw, but held by suction at the end) and move it into the dish. Allow the participants 45 seconds to 1 minute for each season, and remind the participants that they cannot talk during the fishing season.
After you have called the time on a season walk around and put one fish on the big plate (ocean) for every candy left. This will exemplify the fish reproducing. Have students keep track of the fish they catch on their paper or fishing log.Then have the participants fish for another “season.” Repeat this two or three more times. Ideally, participants will begin to run out of fish because they “overfished.”
Reflection
The Tragedy of the Commons
What we just experienced was a concept known as the tragedy of the commons. This is when individuals take too much of a shared resource for personal gain, which makes other people do the same, leading to a situation where the demand outweighs the supply. This causes that resource to be diminished.
For example; Lets say I'm a fisherman and I want to make more money, so I start catching more fish. Then Bob, who is also a fisherman sees me catching more fish and making more money, so he starts doing it too. Then Karen does it, then Tom does it, and so on. Pretty soon the whole fishing community is taking too much fish because they are competing for the same resource! This leads to too many fish to be taken before they can reproduce!
Now Lets think about this!
Was every fisherman able to feed their families through the course of the game?
How did the fish population differ from the beginning to the end?
Connect this game to the Tragedy of the Commons- can the students think of any other resource this could apply for?
What could be done to help keep the fish population stable, while still being able to catch fish?
Come up with some rules for the fishery that would allow for a healthy population and a sustainable fishing industry!
What can you do to help?
There are ways we can solve this! By implementing limits to how many fish can be taken, we can make sure that we leave enough fish behind to allow them to reproduce and replenish. If we do this right, there will be plenty of fish in our oceans for all the animals who rely on them and the humans who depend on them for their way of life!
Some ways you can help are limiting your purchase of fish species that are overfished, such as cod and bluefin tuna, and instead buy fish from more sustainable fisheries, such as tilapia, wild salmon and barramundi (one of my favorites). Here is a great resource for determining how sustainable the fish you purchase is!
Shellfish are super sustainable too. If we manage our fish stocks correctly we will have enough fish for everyone! Even for my dog bear who loves his sustainably sourced fish skin dog treats!