Where have all the Salmon Gone? Lesson Overview In this lesson, students will participate in a simulation activity that illustrates the lifecycle of salmon in order to appreciate the different obstacles that they confront during their lifetime. They will assess the impact of climate change on the salmon industry and evaluate both the economic risks and opportunities associated with these changes. Grade Level Grade 10 Time Required Two 60 minute periods Curriculum Connection Manitoba Geographic Issues of the 21 st Century Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required Access to a whiteboard, blackboard or chart paper Background Information from the Seymour Salmonid Society http://www.seymoursalmon.com/index.php Canadian Geographic/NRTEE A Changing Climate poster-map. Long skipping rope Ground markers like pylons ½ of a football field or large playing field area One pair of very large winter boots or two old car tires 100 pennies Salmon Life Cycle Game - Appendix A Main Objective Students will understand some of the factors associated with the decline of the Pacific salmon population in Southern British Columbia and how they may be affected by climate change. Learning Outcomes By the end of the lesson, students will: Understand the steps involved in the spawning cycle of salmon; Explain why the Pacific salmon are threatened in Southern British Columbia; Describe how climate change may impact the Pacific salmon industry.
The Lesson Introduction Lesson Development The Lesson Teacher Activity Ask the class what they know about the life cycle of a fish. Write these answers on a white board, black board or chart paper. Next, ask them if they know of any fish that migrate in order to spawn. Write these answers on the white board. Explain that in the course of this lesson, the class will learn more about the Pacific salmon and some of the factors that are affecting its well-being and ability to spawn. Indicate that students will be challenged to see where issues related to climate change affect the well-being of Pacific salmon. Provide some background information on the life cycle of the Pacific salmon. Use the Seymour Salmonid Society website as a resource for this information. Focus on this excerpt from the site: The Ocean phase is the phase which we know the least about and it seems that the early part of the ocean phase is very important for overall fish survival. Pose the question: How will climate change affect the ocean? Direct students to use the Canadian Geographic/NRTEE A Changing Climate poster-map to answer the question. Students should list the potential impacts to the ocean environment and salmon and at what temperatures these changes are predicted to occur. Student Activity Share answers to the introductory questions. Listen to the background information. Use the Canadian Geographic/NRTEE A Changing Climate postermap to list the potential impacts to the ocean environment and salmon and at what temperatures these changes are predicted to occur.
Follow the directions in Appendix A to explain the Salmon Life Cycle game to the class. Participate in the salmon life cycle game. Conclusion The class should play the game at least three times in order to have reliable data to analyse. Ask several concluding questions following the Salmon Life Cycle activity: Respond to the questions. How did they feel the activity went? Were they surprised by the data obtained? Where did they feel the most salmon were lost in the activity? What would happen if there were no obstacles? Use the Canadian Geographic/NRTEE A Changing Climate postermap to identify additional risks and opportunities relevant to the salmon lifecycle and the fisheries. Lesson Extension Conduct research about the way that different species of fish breed [there are two main strategies that fish use: egg laying/spawning and live bearing] and what the required oceanic/water environments are. Research how climate change will affect the Atlantic and inland fisheries in Canada. Visit a local fish farm. (Some examples in Manitoba include: Two Fish Pond, Blumenort; Valley Fish Farm, La Riviere; Agassiz Aqua Farm, Selkirk.) Assessment of Student Learning Students can be assessed based on their participation in the classroom discussion and their involvement in the game. Further Reading Climate Prosperity thematic module in the Canadian Atlas Online:
http:///themes.aspx?id=climateprosperity&lang=en National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) web site: http://www.climateprosperity.ca Seymour Salmonid Society Life Cycle of the Salmon: http://www.seymoursalmon.com/lifecycle.php Link to Canadian National Standards for Geography Essential Element#2: Places and Regions Physical and human processes shape places and regions Changes in places and regions over time Critical issues and problems of places and regions Essential Element #5: Environment and Society Global effects on the human environment by changes in the physical environment Environmental issues (e.g. global warming) Use and sustainability of resources Geographic Skill #4: Analyzing geographic information Make inferences and draw conclusions from maps and other geographic representations. Use the process of analysis, synthesis, evaluation and explanation to interpret geographic information for am variety of sources. Geographic Skill #5: Answering geographic questions Apply geographic models, generalizations and theories to the analysis, interpretation and presentation of geographic information.
Set-Up: Salmon Life Cycle Game Appendix A 1. Each student will have a role in the salmon life cycle game. Ask students to think about these two questions as they play the game: What are the risks to the salmon of a warming ocean due to climate change? How could climate change be both an economic risk and an economic opportunity? 2. Choose two students to represent a turbine generator. They will turn the long skipping rope to simulate a turbine. If students touch the turbine they will go upstream, they are dead. 3. Choose two students to represent predators. Place one predator on each side of the turbines at the beginning of the game. When they catch a salmon, they will send them downstream. Later in the game, once all the salmon have gone through the turbines or been caught, they will move to the other side of the falls and will catch the salmon just before they make it to the spawning grounds. 4. Choose two students to be fishermen. They will wear one large boot each or a spare tire around their waists. They are fishing for salmon. When the salmon are caught, they are out of the game and must leave the playing field. 5. All other students will be salmon. Start: 1. All the salmon will start at the turbine. In order to clear it, they must go underneath the skipping rope. The two students who are working the rope must keep it moving consistently at a good speed. As soon as a salmon dies in the turbine, it will become part of the migratory lane that the other salmon must go over. 2. After the turbine, salmon are exposed to predators that must catch them with two hands in order to kill them. They are not permitted to just touch them with one or two hands. Predators must then escort the salmon to the migratory lanes where they will go down on their hands and knees. Salmon must jump over them to get to the spawning regions. 3. Once in the ocean, fishermen can catch salmon. In order to get to the spawning grounds, a salmon must collect 4 pennies, which represent four years of growth. As soon as the salmon has collected 4 pennies, he/she can then start the climb to the spawning zone. Salmon must go across the entire ocean to the opposite side in order to accumulate pennies. 4. If fishermen catch a salmon, he/she too must take his/her catch to the migratory lanes before returning to the ocean.
5. Once a salmon has collected 4 pennies, he/she must go over one of the migratory lanes to reach the spawning grounds. While the salmon are in the migratory lanes, predators cannot catch them. 6. Once through the migratory lane, the salmon must then jump over the falls. The students who were turning the skipping rope (turbine) will move to the jump in order to ensure that the salmon are truly jumping over the falls. The space that you leave for the falls should be realistic, about 1.5 meters in width. If the salmon don t make it, they must go back to the migratory lanes and try again. 7. After the salmon have successfully made it over the falls, the two predators from the beginning of the game will now represent bears, the final obstacle for the salmon, before they reach the spawning grounds. If the bears catch them, which they must do with two hands, the bears must escort the salmon to the migratory lanes. 8. The game is done when all the salmon have either died or made it to the spawning grounds. FALLS PYLON 1/2 the Pennies migratory lane Bear 2 Spawning Zone migratory lane migratory lane migratory lane Fisherman 2 Bear 1 FALLS migratory lane Salmon Start Area Turbine 2 Predator 2 OCEAN Fisherman 1 Turbine 1 Predator 1 PYLON 1/2 the Pennies