Earthlabs: Investigating Fisheries – Lab 8
http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/fisheries/8.html
Name _________________________
Hot Topic: Effects of Climate Variability on Fisheries
PART A: Short Term Variability: El Niño
1: Squid has only recently become a commercially important seafood. Explain how other
species with long histories of commercial fishing and economic importance might be
affected by an El Niño event.
PART B: Intermediate Variability: Anchovy Collapse
1: Given that anchovies rely on upwelling for food, how do you think El Niño events
might affect the anchovy fishing industry?
2: Based on your observations in Part A of how quickly California squid have typically
rebounded after El Niño events, which (if any) of the trends in Peruvian anchovy catches
do you think might be due to El Niño, and which (if any) do you think are due to other
influences? Explain your reasoning.
PART C: Long-Term Variability: Sockeye Salmon
1: Estimate what fraction of the sockeye salmon's winter and summer habitats could be
lost if current atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are doubled.
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Earthlabs: Investigating Fisheries – Lab 8
http://serc.carleton.edu/eslabs/fisheries/8.html
2: Discuss possible impacts of global warming on the marine food chain, including
humans and other land animals that rely on the oceans for food.
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