Virtual Assignment : Commercial Fishing VS Aquaculture

PART A - Where your seafood comes from

Instructions: Use your notes from class or do a Google Search to review what Commercial Fisheries and
Aquaculture are.

What is commercial fishing?

catching fish from marine environments to market for profit.

What is aquaculture? controlled production of aquatic organisms.

This assignment will go through many of the negative impacts of obtaining seafood. However, it is important
to realize that we NEED seafood. Catching and growing seafood is a necessity for humans, but we must
learn to do it sustainably.

What does sustainability mean? to maintain or support over time.

PART B - Methods of Commercial Fishing

Instructions: Watch the videos below that illustrate the different methods of commercial fishing. For each, write a
1-2 sentence description of how the method works (do not copy and paste an answer, write it yourself), list the
species mentioned that are captured using this method, and list any negative consequences of this type of fishing.

Net type What types of fish are Negative

How it works
and video link caught this way consequences

Longline fishing long fishing lines with hooks tunas and swordfish sometimes catches
and bait marine mammals
video

Bottom Trawl fishing net that drags along the sole and halibut can damage
seafloor sensitive seafloor
video

Purse Seine large nets encircle schools of tuna, salmon and accidentally
fish anchovies catches sharks and
video young fish
 walls of netting entangle fish salmon, macerole, and accidentally
Gillnetting tuna catches marine
video mammals and
sharks

Traps funnel shaped doors that lead variety of fish and shellfish none
to the bait
video

PART C - Negative Impacts of Commercial Fishing

Instructions: Watch each of the videos, and answer the question about each of them.

Link Question Answer

video by improving technology such as fisheries and nets. Deep sea

Describe how humans
have become so good at trolling has caught great amounts of fish.
fishing.

video the unintended catch not targeted.

What is bycatch?

video a grid with bars that allows smaller organisms like turtles to
How does a turtle
excluder device (TED) escape.
work?
You can skip to 1:30

PART D - Methods of Aquaculture

Instructions: Watch the videos below that illustrate TWO of the different methods of commercial fishing. For
each, write a 1-2 sentence description of how the method works (do not copy and paste an answer, write it
yourself), list the species mentioned that are captured using this method, and list any negative consequences of
this type of fishing.

Net type What types of fish are Negative

How it works
and video link caught this way consequences

Net cages anchored to the bottom that many different species carry waste and
farms fish pesticides into the
video local environment

Ponds artificial ponds that are next to shrimp wastewater is

open waters and are stocked flushed into the local
video with shrimp waters

PART E - Negative Impacts of Aquaculture

Instructions: Open this document and go to page 8. For each of these problems that are associated with
aquaculture, write a 1-2 sentence in your own words that explains the problem and what the negative
consequences are.

Problem Summarize the problem / consequences

 SHRIMP mangroves and coastal wetlands are destroyed by the shrimp ponds.

Habitat is destroyed

SHRIMP Wild-caught juvenile shrimp are relied on to stock culture ponds.

Wild-caught juveniles

SHRIMP Chemicals added to the cages and ponds may harm nearby marine life.

Chemicals used

SHRIMP Shrimp growth in the ponds and cages uses a great deal of freshwater.

Uses up a lot of
freshwater

SALMON The organic waste can flood the cages causing suffocation of farm and wild
fish.
Organic waste

SALMON Offsprings from a mix of farm and wild salmon are not fit to live in the
majority of marine environments.
Escaped fish breeding
with wild fish

TUNA Tuna may go extinct by these fishing methods.

Pirate fishing

OR

Tuna ranches

PART F - Pros and Cons of each After learning about both ways that we obtain seafood, use
the chart below to list out the PROS and CONS of both commercial fishing methods and
aquaculture methods.

Question PROS CONS

Supports a great deal of jobs and bycatch and can harm marine life and
Commercial Fishing
income. ecosystems
(reading resource)

no bycatch and can be more invasive species and diseases from

Aquaculture
(reading resource) controlled escapees.

Imagine you are at the grocery store and you must buy shrimp. You have the choice to buy wild-caught
shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico, or farm-raised shrimp from Indonesia. Which would you choose? Write a
full paragraph explaining your response.
I would buy wild caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico because they are healthier. Wild fish and shrimp
have leaner meat and are not feeding on pesticides and fertilizer. They also have higher levels of essential
vitamins. Wild caught shrimp is also more sustainable when the proper methods are used.