Tragedy of the Commons Fishing for Change The fishing industry is how quite a few people make their living. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) reported that in 2006 the fishing industry in the United States alone provided more than 2 million jobs and raised more than $185 billion in sales. 1 Those are some big numbers! Setting the Scene Today you will be playing the role of a fisherman/woman. Catching fish is how you make your livelihood. If you don t catch enough fish you will have to quit fishing and find another way to support yourself. Materials Large fish (brown beans) Small fish (white beans) Straw, 1 per student Small cup, 1 per student Bowl, 1 per group Fishing packet, l per student Set up: Getting Ready to Fish 1) Form teams of 2-3 people. 2) Gather your materials. 3) Place 20 small fish and 10 large fish in your bowl. The bowl will act as your section of the ocean and your fishery. 4) Make sure everyone has a straw. You will use the straw to suck up or catch the fish. 5) Make sure everyone has a small cup. The small cup will be where you place the fish you catch. 1 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (January 6, 2009). New Economic Report Finds Commercial and Recreational Saltwater Fishing Generated More Than Two Million Jobs. Retrieved from www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090105_nmfseconomics.html.
In the real fishing industry, not all fish in the ocean are worth the same amount. Some fish are more valuable than others. For this activity, the brown beans, or larger fish, will be worth more than the smaller fish, or white beans. See point values in the Catch Log. Round 1 First Fishing Season Rules and Regulations 1) Each fisherman/woman can catch fish using only a straw and his or her mouth. As you fish, tuck your hands behind your back because NO HANDS ARE ALLOWED! J 2) You will have 10 seconds to gather fish and place them in your cup. Any fish that falls into no man s land not in a cup or in the ocean are quickly gobbled up by hungry sea life. They do not count for the fisherman s/woman s total or the ocean count. 3) Unless otherwise instructed, your teacher will keep the time. When your teacher says Fishing Season get to fishing! Stop fishing when instructed to do so. 4) Record your catch (# of fish) and figure out your point total for Round 1 on your Catch Log. Important! The fish breed and repopulate between fishing seasons. Add one new matching fish for every fish left in your region of the ocean. Round 2 Second Fishing Season Rules and Regulations 1) If you caught enough fish to earn 3 points or more during the first season, you have earned enough to invest in new technology. During the second fishing season, you can use one hand to help guide your straw. However, you cannot use your hand to gather fish! As you fish, your other hand must remain behind your back. If you have not earned 3 points you must continue to use only a straw and your mouth. As you fish, tuck your hands behind your back because NO ARE HANDS ALLOWED! J 2) You will have 10 seconds to gather fish and to place them in your cup. Any fish that fall into no man s land not it a cup or in the ocean are quickly gobbled up by hungry sea life. They do not count for the fisherman s/woman s total or the ocean count. 3) Unless otherwise instructed, your teacher will keep the time. When your teacher says, Fishing season start catching fish! 4) Record your catch (# of fish) and figure out your point total for Round 2 on your Catch Log.
Catch Log Fishing Data Table Fisherman/woman: Record your data for each fishing season. brown beans white beans (hv x 2) + (mv x 1) = total value Catch Count Ocean Count Season # High Value Fish (hv) = 2 points # Medium Value Fish(mv) = 1 point Total Value High Value Medium Value Round 1 First Season Round 2 Second Season Describe what s happening to the fish population in your section of the ocean. Be sure to include the numbers and the types of fish in your description.
What is sustainability? Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and wellbeing depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability created and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations. Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment. Excerpt from the United States Environmental Protection Agency United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Sustainability. Retrieved from www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm. What s affordable? People What s fair? Profit Planet What s good for the environment? Tragedy of the Commons Garrett Hardin coined the phrase tragedy of the commons in 1968. Hardin describes cows grazing on common land. Since there is no direct cost to using the land, individual ranchers are motivated to add to their herds in order to increase their personal wealth. But each added animal damages the pasture a small, perhaps imperceptible, amount. Ultimately, this gradual degradation destroys the commons. Each rancher acting alone is behaving in an appropriate, rational manner, yet the sum total of all the ranchers actions destroys the resource for them all. Excerpt from Fishing for the Future Facing the Future: Global Sustainability Curriculum & Teacher PD. (2002). Fishing For the Future. Retrieved from www.facingthefuture.org/curriculafreeunits/lessonfinder/tabid/68/default.aspx#.u5semramcdu Take a look at this video to learn more about Tragedy of the Commons. www.youtube.com/watch?v=4re9pmwwafc Interested in a challenge? Take a look at the original article by Garrett Hardin. www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_tragedy_of_the_commons.html What about overfishing? Want to know more? www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwywdqv7a7s AND www.youtube.com/watch?v=pygnpwccggm
How does the activity and commercial fishing relate to sustainability and the tragedy of the commons? Which parts of the game are not accurate to the real- life fishing situation? Brainstorm! How can you use what you ve learned to make your fishery more sustainable? Use a blank piece of paper for more space. Round 3 Third Fishing Season Rules and Regulations 1) Let s try out your sustainability ideas from your brainstorm. Try to make fishing sustainable in your section of the ocean. 2) Add 10 white and 5 brown fish to your ocean. 3) Follow the same Rules and Regulations as Round 2. 4) Record your catch (# of fish) and figure out your point total for Round 3 on the data table below. Catch Count Ocean Count Season # High Value Fish (hv) = 2 points # Medium Value Fish(mv) = 1 point Total Value High Value Medium Value Round 3 Third Season
How did Round 3 go? In what ways were you successful? What would you change in the future to make it even better? What are examples of sustainability and/or tragedy of the commons issues in your community? How can you apply what you learned to help solve these issues in your community?