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Overfishing and Aquaculture (Grades 3-5)

Students discover the sources of various fish and seafood, compare wild-caught and farm-raised aquaculture systems, and use a simulation to determine how overfishing can damage the ocean ecosystem.

Grades
3 – 5
Estimated Time
2 hours
Updated
September 22, 2023
Sea fish farm
Image: adokon/iStock

Background

Lesson Activities

Credits

Author

Stephanie Titzel | North Carolina Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom

Acknowledgements

  • Interest Approach - Engagement was reproduced with permission from "Activity 10: Fish on a Farm," from Exploring Marine Science and Aquaculture, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 2017.
  • Activity 1 was added by the National Center for Agricultural Literacy.
  • Activity 2 was adapted with permission from Blue World TVs lesson, The Lifespan of Overfishing.

Sources

  1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/13/top-10seafood_n_959961.html
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafood
  3. https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2016/october/americans-seafood-consumption-below-recommendations/
  4. https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/gfnd/gfhnrc/docs/news-2013/eat-fish-which-fish-that-fish-go-fish/
  5. http://www.ift.org/Knowledge-Center/Learn-About-Food-Science/Food-Facts/WildCaught-Fish-vs-FarmRaised-Fish.aspx
  6. http://thenaa.net/faqs-about-us-aquaculture

Standards

National Content Area Standards

  • Science
    • 5-ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
      • 5-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth's resources and environment.
    • 5-LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
      • 5-LS2-1: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.