PROGRAM ACTIVITIES GUIDE
CONTENTS
Page Ghost (net) Busters Program Background 3
The Whale Classroom 4
Goals and Objectives 4
Curriculum Materials/Lessons 5
What is a ghost net? 8
History of net fisheries 25
How to make a net 36
Modern fisheries and nets 42
Material Science of nets 52
Dragnet 61
Biomimicry 70
Upcycling of derelict nets 81
Ghost net impacts on coral reefs 91
The haunted ocean 100
Are You Smarter Than a Ghost Net? Card Game 110
Host your own engineering competition 116
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BACKGROUND
Ghost (net) Busters is a UNCW MarineQuest program generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta. Ghost (net) Busters focuses on educating youth on the environmental impacts of ghost nets, fishing nets that have been lost or abandoned at sea. Once lost, ghost nets continue to fish and impact all kinds of marine organisms, capturing and killing crustaceans, fish, turtles, birds, sharks, and marine mammals - even whales. Ghost nets also damage underwater habitats, contribute to marine pollution, and cause economic loss for fishermen. While ghost nets are an issue around the globe, we can all help reduce the impacts of marine debris by eating sustainably harvested seafood, cleaning up our communities, and spreading the word!
To teach students about the impacts of ghost nets and how they can help keep our oceans safe, MarineQuest traveled with its life-size inflatable Right Whale classroom, Watson. Whales are among the most charismatic and compelling creatures in the ocean. They engender a high degree of public interest in their biology and conservation, making them useful ambassadors for the whole marine environment. When they are injured or killed, it captures our collective attention and inspires us to learn and do more. This is why MarineQuest created its life-size inflatable Right Whale classroom. By using the whale as an educational model, students learned how entanglement in fishing gear became the leading cause of death for North Atlantic Right Whales, one of the most endangered of all the large whale species. From 2016-2018, Watson the Whale visited 74 schools and helped educate 14,074 students! We also visited summer camps and attended public events, reaching an additional 3,823 people!
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THE WHALE CLASSROOM
Watson is a life-size inflatable model of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The whale is 56 feet long by 15 feet wide and 11 feet high.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of Ghost (net) Busters was to increase public awareness, especially among middle and ninth grade-level students, about the problems associated with ghost nets and then challenge them to come up with creative solutions through technological innovation. To achieve these goals, we created educational modules, informational videos, and an engineering & design competition – all with the purpose of educating the next generation to be able to mitigate the impacts of ghost nets and conserve the marine habitat. We believe that the resources developed and outlined in this guide can help teachers and conservation groups around the county engage youth with stewardship of the marine environment.
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Curriculum
The following curriculum was created to help educate students about the impacts of and solutions to ghost nets. These lessons were developed with both North Carolina Essential Science Standards (NCESS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in mind. The chart below outlines how each activity aligns with these standards.
Lesson NCESS NGSS
5.L.1, 5.L.1.2 Science and Engineering Practices: What is a ghost net? – This module 6.E.1.1 Asking questions and defining discusses what ghost fishing is, how gear 7.E.1.6, problems gets lost, and how it can impact ecosystems, 7.L.1.4 especially whales. 8.E.1, 8.L.3 Disciplinary Core Ideas: EEn.1.1.2, ESS2.A, ESS2.D, ESS3.D, ESS3.C (Note: While each module can be completed EEn.2.2.1, LS2.A independently to meet the needs of the EEn.2.4, 5-ESS3-1 instructor, using the introductory module will EEn.2.7.3, enhance student understanding and experience.) EEn.2.7.3 Crosscutting Concepts: Bio.2.2 Cause and Effect
History of net fisheries – This module will focus on the history of net fishing, including composition and construction of nets, and changes in use over time. Until the middle Disciplinary Core Ideas: 6.P.3.3 ESS1.C of the twentieth century most commercial 8.E.2.1 fishing nets were made with natural fibers EEn.2.2.1, Crosscutting Concepts: EEn.2.4, which can eventually decompose. Modern Patterns EEn.2.8.3 nets are usually made of synthetic materials Stability and change like nylon. Advances in modern technologies have made ghost nets a much more serious problem. How to make a net – This module will focus on how nets are made by hand. Creating their own net will help students understand (1) the time, effort and costs that goes into Crosscutting Concepts: making and repairing one, and (2) why Patterns someone might prefer to use a machine- made synthetic net, including cost considerations.
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Lesson NCESS NGSS
Modern fisheries and nets – This module will focus on the variety of commercial fishing nets and how they operate. Students 8.E.1 Disciplinary Core Ideas: will learn the specificity of the net based on EEn.1.1.2, LS4.D the kinds of fish it is used for, and the EEn2.2.1, MS-LS2-1 method of securing its catch. Students will EEn.2.4, try to modify a small net to release bycatch EEn.2.8.3 Crosscutting Concepts: and learn about different bycatch reduction Bio.2.2 Cause and effect devices, including the Turtle Excluder Device (TED).
Materials science of nets – This module will Science and Engineering Practices: teach students how to measure tensile Asking questions and defining strength of natural and synthetic fibers that 5.P.2.2 problems have been used in net production. They will 6.P.3.3 Obtaining, Evaluating, and EEn.1.1.2 Communicating Information compare strength, uses, deterioration rates, PSc.2.1.3 and costs to understand the merits of net Disciplinary Core Ideas: composition and environmental PS1.A considerations. MS-PS1-3
Dragnet– This module will focus on the Science and Engineering Practices: physics and energy burden of drag on a Developing and using models whale entangled in fishing gear. A recent Analyzing and interpreting data study (Hoop, 2016) found that entangled 5.P.1, 5.L.1.2 Engaging in argument from evidence 7.P.1.1. whales expend approximately twice the 7.P.1.3 Disciplinary Core Ideas: energy to swim at the same speed as when 8.E.1 PS2.A, MS-PS2-2 free. For this experiment, students will measure drag force of simulated whale Crosscutting Concepts: entanglements. Cause and effect
Science and Engineering Practices: Biomimicry – This module will investigate Developing and using models different ways in which nature is able to Planning and carrying out trap and/or filter materials. One example is investigations how humpback whales create bubble nets to Constructing explanations and 6.P.3.3 concentrate and capture prey. Strategies designing solutions 8.E.1 like this inspire scientists to mimic nature to solve human challenges and problems. Crosscutting Concepts: Students will think outside the box to Influence of Science, Engineering, propose a biomimetic solution to ghost nets. and Technology on Society and the Natural World
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Lesson NCESS NGSS Upcycling of derelict nets – This module will focus on the efforts of organizations that are working to mitigate the impacts of ghost nets and other derelict fishing gear. We will highlight the work by Covanta and other Fishing for Energy partnerships. Students EEn.2.8.4 will learn (1) how entrepreneurs are Bio.2.2 upcycling old synthetic nets into carpets and skateboard decks, (2) how they can upcycle an old net and plastic grocery bags into a new fused material, and (3) be able to think of their own possible upcycled items.
Science and Engineering Practices: Ghost net impacts on coral reefs – This 5.E.1, 5.L.1 Developing and using models module allows students to simulate the 6.E.1.1, 6.E.2 impacts of ghost nets on a coral reef. 7.P.1.1, Disciplinary Core Ideas: Students will build a model healthy reef 7.E.1.6 LS2.A, MS-LS2-4 ecosystem, damage it using a ghost net, and 8.E.1, 8.L.3 ESS2E, ESS3.B then remove it from the reef. Students will EEn.2.7.3, PS4.A conduct a damage assessment caused by the EEn.2.7.3 net dragging across the reef using quadrats. Bio.2.2 Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and effect
The haunted ocean: A role play activity about the perspectives of ghost fishing – Science and Engineering Practices: Through this lesson, students will watch a Engaging in argument from evidence video and take on the role of a stakeholder EEn.2.2.1, involved in finding a solution to ghost EEn.2.7.3 Crosscutting Concepts: fishing. By debating possible solutions as a Bio.2.2 Influence of Science, Engineering, class, students will learn how and why these and Technology on Society and the stakeholders must work together to find Natural World solutions suitable for all involved.
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WHAT IS A GHOST NET? Time to complete lesson: 15-20 minutes
Purpose of module: This module discusses what ghost fishing is, how gear gets lost, and how it can impact ecosystems, especially whales.
Background information: All background information you will need is provided in the dialog part of the instructions below to help with flow of lesson.
Materials: fishing tool cards, pictures to accompany information (used to create PPT), sample gillnet, rubber bands
Instructions: Use the following dialog, interactive questioning, and the provided pictures to guide your students through this lesson.
Recreational vs. Commercial Fishermen Who here has been fishing before? When you or your family goes fishing, you are considered a recreational fisherman or fisher-woman. What do you usually use when you go fishing? (Hooks, fishing pole, fishing line, crab trap, etc.) When you go fishing, can you catch enough fish to feed your family? (yes) What about the whole class/school? (no) But there are people who fish for their livelihood – they are called commercial fishermen. Do they usually catch a few fish at a time? No! They catch tons of fish at once, which means they use different kinds of fishing gear.
Pass out fishing tool cards and have students decide if their tool is for a recreational or commercial fishermen. Designate one area of the room as recreational and another as commercial and have students move to that area. Review selections and compare/contrast tools for different fishermen. Students should recognize that commercial fishermen need bigger tools because they are catching more fish at a time.
Commercial fishermen have a very important job. They bring in seafood for our grocery stores and restaurants to help feel all the people who live on our planet!
We are going to look at three kinds of nets today. The first is a purse seine, which is used to catch an entire school of fish at once. A fisherman will find a school of fish, surround it using this net, and pull up the bottom so none can escape before bringing that net and all the fish inside on board to take home. Figure 1: Purse seine illustration.
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Another net is called a trawl, which is a bag- shaped net that fishermen drag behind their boat to catch fish, or we use this net to catch shrimp in North Carolina. Fishermen drag this net through the water, and then take it on board with them at the end of the day to go home.
The final net I want to show you is a gillnet. Have two students hold up the gillnet for you (or show picture of gillnet) and explain that this is a small sample because gillnets can be up to a mile Figure 2: A trawl illustration. in length, but would work the same way. They have floats on the top and weights on th e bottom to hold them upright in the water. Fish cannot see the netting made of clear plastic monofilament, swim into it and are trapped by their gills. Does this happen right away when a fishermen puts the net in the water? No, fishermen have to leave the nets out there, sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for a few days. The nets are set on the bottom, and from the surface all we can see are two buoys, one on either end of the net. These really big nets and traps are really good at catching fish, Figure 3: Ghost (net) Busters instructors holding up small sometimes too good. example of gillnet.
Out of these three nets, which do you think could be lost the easiest in the ocean? Gillnets because we leave it out there unattended, and if something happens to it before we come back, the fishermen may not be able to find it again. Some things that can happen to the buoys include: boats driving by can cut lines with propeller, whales can become entangled and break or drag gear, or storms can pick up and move gear around the ocean. Fishing gear can also be discarded inappropriately at sea. Fishing gear can become a big problem when it is lost or abandoned at sea and continues to fish. This is called “ghost fishing” because it “haunts” the ocean. We say that because these nets drift around the ocean catching and killing marine animals.
An estimated 640,000 tons of abandoned nets are spread across the world’s oceans each year – that’s the equivalent of over 9,000 North Atlantic right whales like Watson. These nets only account for 10% of ocean trash, but each year ghost gear kills 136,000 seals, sea lions, and large whales every year, not including birds, turtles, fish, and other species. Figure 4: An illustration of ghost gear in action.
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What do you think will happens when fishing gear is lost? • Continues to fish, trapping all kinds of animals • Can catch and drag along bottom and cause serious damage to underwater habitats like coral reefs • Does not break down and continues to fish for many years When animals interact with these nets, they often become entangled. Entanglement in fishing gear is now the leading cause of death for right whales. They can, and do, easily get entangled in abandoned fishing gear. Entanglement commonly occurs around the rostrum (mouth), flippers, and flukes (tail). It can also occur around the whole body. Scientists have found that whales are strong enough to break free from this fishing gear, and remain entangled indefinitely.
Use rubber bands to demonstrate the difficulty animals have with entanglements. Have students hook a rubber band over their pinky, pass it over the back of their hand, and hook it over their thumb, then try and free their hands from the rubber band without using the thumb or other parts of their body. Have students make observations and explain how this may be similar to entanglements on whales and other animals. Figure 5: Rubber band entanglement activity.
Are whales the only animals impacted? No, ghost fishing affects all animals in the ocean, including crabs, fish, sea turtles, dolphins, and many more. Trapped animals will act as bait to lure other animals to nets. Entanglement in fishing gear can cause animals with lungs to drown. If they get trapped on the bottom, they can’t come to the surface to breathe. If they get wrapped up in marine debris, they experience more drag when swimming, making it more and more difficult for them to breathe and eat. Fishing gear can also cut into the skin and bones, causing deadly infections.
Can humans be impacted by ghost nets? Yes, we can become entangled when swimming or scuba diving and our boat propellers can become entangled. But the biggest way these nets impact humans is that they catch fish that our fishermen are trying to catch, so they are competing with our fishermen, and taking that source of food away from us.
Is ghost fishing a problem in our oceans? Yes! But there are lots of things we can do to stop this problem. Have students brainstorm ideas, and then highlight a few of NOAA’s suggestions: • Reducing fishing efforts (shorter soak times, limiting fishing time, less gear per boat) • Reducing ghost fishing efficiency of gear (improve biodegradable aspects for release or disabling of lost gear over time, or use weak links to allow large whales to escape entanglements) • Change the color of gear (right whales can see red and orange better than other colors, so by changing gear colors scientists hope to reduce entanglements)
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• Gear making, integrated GPS trackers to allow for immediate recover, port or state monitoring, and inspection of gear • Clean up existing ghost gear. Some programs have worked to pay fishermen to collect ghost gear in the off season (Olive Ridley Project, COVANTA, Ghost Nets Austrailia). While removing ghost gear is expensive, it also creates new revenue as Figure 6: Ghost net removal. fishermen are able to increase their harvests. By focusing removal efforts in areas that are highly fished, this strategy can have an even bigger impact. However, the really important solution is to prevent nets from being lost or abandoned in the first place. • Improved gear design to reduce likelihood of accidental loss • Spatial zoning of fisheries to avoid gear conflicts and increase navigational awareness of gear in the water • Provide affordable port disposal facilities and incentives to discourage improper disposal at sea o COVANTA provides free fishing gear disposal at ports Figure 7: COVANTA fishing gear drop off location. around the globe and then collects that gear to turn it into energy In North Carolina, we have a great solution to ghost fishing. Our solution is that fishermen using gill nets only leave the nets in the ocean from sunset until sunrise (instead of for days at a time). By reducing the time the net is in the water, we reduce the chance the net will get lost. This solution is really effective and ghost nets are not a big problem in NC, but they still are an issue around the world.
How can you help stop ghost fishing? • Eat local seafood or seafood that have been harvested sustainably and with safer fishing methods (Seafood Watch) • Help with a beach clean-up and clean trash (including fishing net) from beaches • Spread the word! Teach others about the impacts of ghost fishing gear and write your state representatives • Engage with STEM to design solutions
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Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Resources:
Bikovic, DM. HW Slacum, Jr., KJ Havens, D Zaveta, CFG Jeffrey, AM Scheld, D Stanhope, K Angstadt, JD Evans. 2016. “Ecological and Economic Effects of Derelict Fishing Gear in the Chesapeake Bay: 2015/2016 Final Assessment Report. NOAA Marine Debris Program. Blumenthal, Rob. 12 Apr 2016. “3 Million Pounds of Abandoned Fishing Gear Safely Removed from U.S. Waterways.” National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Accessed 26 July 2018.
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Pettis, HM, RM Pace, RS Schick, PK Hamilton. 2017. North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual Report Card. Report to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. October 2017.
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History of net fisheries Time to complete lesson: 30 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will focus on the history of net fishing, including composition and construction of nets, and changes in use over time. Until the middle of the twentieth century most commercial fishing nets were made with natural fibers which can eventually decompose. Modern nets are usually made of synthetic materials like nylon. Advances in modern technologies have made ghost nets a much more serious problem.
Background information: Many of fishing methods have not changed much over thousands of years. We still use fish hooks, lines, traps, and nets to catch marine species, but the efficiency of these tools have greatly improved over time. The practice of fishing dates back at least 50,000 years, where techniques included spearfishing, hook and line fishing, and using plant toxins to stun/kill fish. More consistent evidence of fishing dates back as early as the Mesolithic age (10,000-6,000 Before Common Era (BCE)) when hunting became difficult. Early fish hooks were made out of bone, horn, or wood, and later made of bronze during the Stone and Bronze ages (1,700-800 BCE). The first evidence of using nets for fishing is from the 14th century BCE, where the Egyptians used willow branches to create woven nets that could be towed between two boats to collect fish (Figure 1). Many early nets were made of flax twine and hemp and later cotton. They could be made with knots or Figure 1: Egyptian papyrus boats towing a net, found by twisting the net yarn together at joints. Fishing in a tomb from 2,000 BCE (Sahrhage 1992). was especially important for early immigrants to the Americas, who used stone, bone, horn, and ivory, and later iron to make their tools. Aboriginal fishermen in North America were some of the first to use gillnets made of natural fiber (nettles or the inner bark of cedar). They would use stones to weight the bottom of the nets and wood to keep the top net afloat. These early gillnets were either suspended from shore or between two boats. Drift gillnets were used to fish for herring, one of the first commercially valuable fish in Europe during the 1400s Common Era (CE). They were first made of hemp, and were strung together 40-55 nets long, with each net measuring 18 m long and 5 m
Figure 2: Early drift nets, 1400 CE (Sahrhage 1992).
This manual was created by UNCW MarineQuest. For information, contact [email protected] 25 deep. These hemp nets were later replaced with machine made cotton nets 100 nets long, with each net 30m by 15m. As boats got larger, herring was salted at sea allowing ships to remain at sea for longer. The invention of a powered drum in the 1930s allowed gillnets to be drawn in much faster than by hand, which also lead to a more productive fishing industry. Synthetic fibers were introduced during the 1960s, causing a significant expansion of gillnet fisheries because the nets were cheaper, easier to handle, longer lasting, and required less maintenance than natural fibers. These nets were also almost invisible in water and caught significantly more than natural fiber nets. Trawling began in the 1340s by the Dutch, but did not become widely used until mechanical power was developed (Figure 3). In 1892, otter boards were added to spread and open the net by water pressure, which increased efficiency by Figure 3: An early trawl, 1635 CE (Sahrhage 1992). 35%! Trawlers mainly targeted haddock, cod, flounder, and herring in large quantities, which caused populations to dwindle in some regions. Purse seines were invented in 1826 in Rhode Island for the mackerel fishery and later for many other species. Motor pumps were constructed to suck the masses of small pelagic fish from the closed purse seine directly into fish holds, and then from the ship to factories on land. As new machinery and transportation technology was developed, fishing tactics improved. Using steam and motor power allowed for less use of sails and wind, which brought a more steady supply of fish to the markets. Railroad development in the 1830s as well as improved preservation allowed for more distribution of fish products. Motors were developed in the 1890s in Germany, and were initially used for near-shore fishing, but soon were used farther offshore as well. This allowed fishermen to increase their catch per unit time by 40%! By 1947, trawlers started using a ramp in the back of the ship to support larger trawls. This also allowed ships to be built taller, allowing more room for workers and processing space. Figure 4: An early purse seine, 1900 CE In addition, many advances in technology increased (Whitely 1993). the demand for fish products during the 19th and 20th centuries. Canning was developed in 1817 and, coupled with the development of railroads in the 1830s allowed for easier distribution. Net making machines were created in Scotland in 1820, which allowed for the transition from hemp to cotton nets. Knotless nets were developed in Japan in 1922. Synthetic fibers were developed in the 1930s, and were first used for fishing the 1940s. Polyamide monofilament gillnets replaced cotton gillnets in the 1950s. Better navigation and communication devices became available to fishermen during World War II (1939-1945 CE).
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Modern fishing technologies often involve the use of strong, synthetic fishing nets, lines, and ropes. These technologies are constantly improving, making it possible for fishermen to catch more fish faster. However, when these nets are lost or discarded in the ocean, they can have major impacts on the ecosystem and marine inhabitants.
Materials: Large plastic tub(s) filled with a variety of beans, picture cards for demonstrating fishing at different times (provided at end of lesson), large clear plastic cups to hold “catch” at each stage of timeline, 2 sets chopsticks, 2 spoons, 2 small paper cups, 2 pieces of netting, packing tape, 2 larger paper cups, 2 measuring cups, 4 large plastic cups
Instructions: • Today we will take a look at how fishing techniques have changed over time using our “ocean,” represented by these two tubs with beans to represent fish.
Figure 5: Finished timeline for the history of fishing activity.
• When we started fishing started fishing 50,000 years ago, we did not use the same nets we use today. We used things like Spears and hooks made of bone, wood, or stone (all natural materials). This allowed us to catch one fish at a time. We will represent this using our chopsticks. (2 volunteers use chopsticks to catch their fish and place them in the large clear cup). Demonstrate that they only caught one fish at a time, and place cup and chopsticks at the beginning of our timeline (pictured above). • 6000 years ago – advancing fishing techniques. We are now making nets to catch our fish. These nets were made of natural materials and were very small because they were made by hand. Use spoons to represent small nets, allow 2 volunteers to scoop fish into their cup a few times. We can see that they caught a few fish at a time, but still not very many. Place cup and spoons next on the timeline. • 4000 years ago – Show picture of the Egyptians using boats to drag nets through the water. Remind students that these nets are still natural materials and were small.
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Represent these nets using small paper cups, and have two pairs of volunteers use this tool. This is essentially a primitive trawl. Observe the number of fish caught and add to timeline. • Over the next few thousand years, fishing techniques continued to improve. We got better at making nets and catching fish, but in general they were still caught in small amounts with natural materials. • 1200 – Fast-forwarding through time, we started fishing for herring during the 1200s. We originally used seine nets for this, which would involve a group of people going out into the water to trap fish between the net and shore, and then dragging the net onto shore with all the fish inside. Have two pairs of students use a small rectangular piece of netting to demonstrate this. Show that we caught more fish using these nets and add to timeline. • Drop the nets into the “ocean” and ask students what would happen to this net if lost. It may impact some animals as a ghost net, but since it is still made of natural materials, it will break down in a few years and will no longer be a problem. Keep this in mind for later on in our demonstration. • 1400 – We are still fishing for herring, but we started to use drift nets, which are essentially gillnets that drift at the surface. These nets need to soak in the ocean for a period of time to catch fish. We will demonstrate this using tape. Have two students place a piece of tape into the ocean, and pull it up to catch fish. Place in cup and add to our timeline. • 1635 – In the 1600s we developed the first official trawls, which are dragged through the water to catch fish. We will represent this using our paper cups, because these are still made of natural materials. Have two students use these trawls, dump their fish into the clear cup, and add them to the timeline. We can see that we have really improved our ability to catch fish. • 1826 – Next we developed the first purse seine, which is used to catch an entire school of fish at one time. Fishermen use this net to surround a school of fish, pull up the bottom so none can escape, and then get the net/fish back on board their boat. The fishermen basically “scoop” the fish from the ocean, so we will use ladles to represent this. Have two students use the measuring spoons to scoop the fish into their clear cup. • During the next 150 years, many things happened that really helped the fishing industry BOOM: o Railroads were developed, making it easier to transport fish and creating a bigger need for fish to feed more people. o Canning and better preservation methods were developed, which helped to preserve fish. o Boats also got bigger and faster, with the development of steam engines and later gas engines. This means we could travel faster and farther when fishing, and could hold more fish on a boat at a time. o Net-making machines were developed and nets could be made faster and more efficiently, allowing for bigger, stronger nets. o Dupont developed our first synthetic material: nylon. This material was later used to make nets that were lighter and stronger than natural made nets. • We will represent these improvements using large plastic cups, and we will have more fishermen to represent how fishing efforts increased. Have 4 students use large plastic
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cups to fish. Students will see this catches a lot of fish at one time. Drop these nets into the ocean. • If these nets were lost in the ocean, they would not degrade because they are made of synthetic materials. This problem compounds each year that nets are lost, and ghost nets are a much bigger problem today than they were hundreds of years ago. • We also see that over time as we catch more and more fish, we are depleting our fish stocks. Fish would naturally reproduce, but some fish stocks cannot keep up with the intense fishing efforts we do today. This results in depleted fish stocks and overfishing. • Remember: there are things that everyone can do to help keep stop ghost fishing! (Eat local and sustainable seafood, clean up after yourself and others outside, and spread the word!)
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Resources: “Fishing net.” New World Encyclopedia, 12 Apr 2017, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Fishing_net Accessed 20 July 2018. “Fishing net.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org, 19 July 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_net. Accessed 20 July 2018. "Fishing – Ocean, river fishing – Net making [Plates I-XXVII]." The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project. Ann Arbor: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 2010. Web. 23 July 2018. < https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/did/did2222.0001.587>. Trans. of "Pêches – Pêches de mer, pêches de rivière – Fabrique des filets [Planches I-XXVII]," Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, vol. 8 (plates). Paris, 1771. “Gillnetting.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org, 19 July 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillnetting. Accessed 20 July 2018. Hart, Paul J., and John D. Reynolds. Handbook of fish biology and fisheries. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2002. Print. “History of fishing.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org, 19 July 2018, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_fishing. Accessed 20 July 2018. Radcliffe, William. 1921. Fishing from the Earliest Times. London Sahrhage, Dietrich, and Johannes Lundbeck. A History of Fishing. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 1992. Print. Watson, RA, A Tidd. 2018. Mapping nearly a century and a half of global marine fishing: 1869-2015. Marine Policy 93: 171-177. Whitely, Tim. “Purse seine illustration.” Historic American Engineering Record, 1993, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Purse_seine_illustration,_Historic_American_Engineer ing_Record.png. Accessed 20 July 2018.
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How to make a net Time to complete lesson: 45-60 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will focus on how nets are made by hand. Creating their own net will help students understand (1) the time, effort and costs that goes into making and repairing one, and (2) why someone might prefer to use a machine-made synthetic net, including cost considerations.
Background information: Nets have been used for fishing for centuries, both for catching and transporting fish. They come in many shapes and sizes, including flat netting, net bags, scoop or dip nets, and cast nets. Each net has the same basic construction, where meshes are created using knots or braids. Nets can have a variety of different mesh sizes depending on their purpose and target. For example, purse seines are used to catch schooling fish like tuna, while trawls are used to catch fish in the mid-water or bottom, like shrimp and mackerel. The materials and techniques for making nets have changed over time. Early nets were made out of natural materials, especially plant materials like hemp, flax, cotton, and many more. Fibers from these plants are extracted and then twisted into cordage (or rope/string) that can be twisted again or braided into rope. These ropes can then be hand-tied into nets, which is what students will learn to do in this activity. Net-making machines were developed in the 1820s, Figure 1: A 1771 net-making guide from Paris, allowing nets to be made faster and longer. Synthetic, France. (The Encyclopedia of Diederot & d'Alembert) or man-made, materials were first used to make fishing nets starting in the 1950s. These nets were stronger, lighter, and longer lasting, making fishing much more efficient.
Materials: Cotton twine, hinged rings, net-making shuttles, gauges, starter nets of 8 meshes, instruction guides, calculating cost of net worksheets, calculators, stop watches; Note: we purchased our net- making supplies from Jann’s Netcraft, where you can get a kit with additional instructions and videos online: https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/net-making/097010000007.aspx) Figure 2: Net-making guide from Jann's Netcraft.
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Instructions: • Start class with a discussion of fishing, using the following interactive questions: Who here has been fishing? (When you go fishing, you are considered a recreational fisherman who fishes for fun) What tools do we usually use? (fishing pole, hooks, bait, small nets) What is a fisherman who fishes for their job? (commercial fisherman) What do commercial fishermen use to catch even more fish? (bigger nets) • Show example of net and ask, what are nets used for? (sports, hammocks, transporting materials, catching animals, especially fish) How do you think people originally came up with the idea of a net? • Ask students: How do you think we make nets? Today, we use machines, but back before those machines were invented, fishermen made their nets by hand. Today, you will get to see what that is like. • Demonstrate for students how to make a net using the materials and instruction sheets provided. Then, break students into groups and give them a chance to try and build a net on their own. Each group will have a stop watch, a pre-tied string of meshes on a ring, a shuttle full of string, and a gauge. Each group will have an instruction guide with pictures to help in the construction of their net. Tell students Figure 3: Net-making materials. that their job is to time how long it takes to create 8 rows of netting on their started net. • When groups complete their 8x8 mesh net, give them a worksheet and have them calculate the cost of creating that net. When everyone’s net is complete, find an average time taken to complete the nets. Calculate the cost of their hand-made net using the worksheet. • Knowing how hard and expensive it is to make a net by hand, how would you feel if you lost that net or if it ripped? Would you try to find it or try to repair it? • Today, is this how we make nets? No, when something takes a lot of time and effort, we look for easier ways. We now have net-making machines that can make nets much faster and stronger than hand-made nets. We also have newer synthetic materials that are used to make these nets. • Tell students that the same size net made on a machine out of monofilament would cost $3.19 from Memphis Net & Twine. The monofilament net would also be stronger, lighter, and longer lasting. Ask students: which net is a cheaper and easier option? (The monofilament netting). This is why fishermen often use nets made on machines out of synthetic materials. • This does not mean that fishing nets are cheap. A standard gillnet in NC is usually 100 yards long, plus the cost of the floats, weights, and buoys. So each net is still a few
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hundred dollars, but synthetic, machine-made nets are much cheaper than hand-made nets. Fishermen can afford to have nets that are much larger than hand-made ones. They will repair these nets to some extent before replacing them. • We know that synthetic, machine-made nets are good for fishermen, but are there any cons to using these nets? (much larger, more catch and bycatch, last longer if lost, might not be as attached to them since they purchased and did not make themselves) How could these nets get lost? (storms, old age, buoys get cut or broken by boat or animals) How can they impact the ocean ecosystem if lost or abandoned at sea? (continue to catch and kill all kinds of species, destroy habitats, economic loss for fishermen) • Technology is always changing, and we are always trying to find ways to make life easier and better. How could we make fishing nets better, more secure, or retrievable?
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Resources: Bahen, J, MD Mordecai, D Dow. How to Hang a Gillnet. UNC Sea Grant College Program. Cullenberg, P. 2010. Gillnet Hanging. Alaska Sea Grant College Program. Alaska Marine Advisory Bulletin No. 29. Fairbanks, Alaska. "Fishing – Ocean, river fishing – Net making [Plates I-XXVII]." The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project. Ann Arbor: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 2010. Web. 23 July 2018. < https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/did/did2222.0001.587>. Trans. of "Pêches – Pêches de mer, pêches de rivière – Fabrique des filets [Planches I-XXVII]," Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, vol. 8 (plates). Paris, 1771. Kidder, Norm. 2013. “Making Cordage by Hand.” ©PrimativeWays. Web. Accessed 23 July 2018.
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How to make a net by hand Materials and set up:
Starter net: Your starter net will have 8 pre-tied meshes (the individual square/diamond shapes that make up your net). There will be 4 top meshes attached to a ring (odd numbers), and 4 bottom meshes (even numbers). When you build your net, each new row will be a row of 4 meshes. Shuttle: This tool that holds your twine as your create the net. You will use this to guide your twine through the right spaces to make knots and meshes. Gauge: This tool ensures the meshes on your net are all the same size. It will also hold your newly constructed meshes as you tie new ones. You will begin with a starter net that has 8 meshes. The top row of meshes attached to an anchor ring, and the ring is attached to a hook to hold your net steady as you work. Your shuttle full of twine will be attached on the left. Step 1: Working left to right, begin tying your net. Line up your gauge at the base of your first bottom mesh (#2 from the image above). Hold the mesh and gauge between your thumb and fore finger. Step 2: Loop your shuttle in front of the gauge, then feed it behind gauge, and up through mesh #2. Step 3: Pull the twine down and tight, keeping the gauge at the base of the first mesh. You should see three “lines” of twine here, labeled A, B, and C. Line A is the new mesh you are creating, and lines B and C are from mesh #2. Step 4: Holding the gauge and line in place with your thumb and forefinger, create a large loop with your twine on the left side of the mesh.
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Step 5: Feed your shuttle up through your mesh (with lines B and C on the right and line A the left) and up through the large loop you created.
Step 6: Pull the shuttle and twine to the right, and then down to tighten the knot.
Step 7: Keeping the mesh you just created around the gauge, begin with the next mesh, repeating steps 1-6. (Feed the shuttle in front of the gauge and back up and through the next mesh. Create your loop on the left, and feed the shuttle under and through the mesh, and up through your loop. Pull to the right and then down to tighten) When you get to the end of your row of 4 meshes, remove your gauge, flip the entire net over and continue working from left to right.
C A B
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Calculating the Cost of a Hand-made Net
To calculate the cost of your hand made net, we will calculate the amount of time it would take to make one yard of net (23’) that is 6’ deep. At this mesh size of 2.5”, this would be equal to 64 rows of meshes down (6’) and 32 columns of meshes across (3’). Using the stop watch, record the amount of time it takes your group to make 8 rows of netting with the pre-started 8 columns across.
# of minutes spent making 8x8 meshes of net = ______minutes x 8 (to make 64 rows) x 4 (to make 32 columns)
minutes to make a 6’ x 3’ net = hours
______hours x $7.25 per hour = total cost of time to make a hand-made fishing net
Calculating the Cost of a Hand-made Net
To calculate the cost of your hand made net, we will calculate the amount of time it would take to make one yard of net (23’) that is 6’ deep. At this mesh size of 2.5”, this would be equal to 64 rows of meshes down (6’) and 32 columns of meshes across (3’). Using the stop watch, record the amount of time it takes your group to make 8 rows of netting with the pre-started 8 columns across.
# of minutes spent making 8x8 meshes of net = ______minutes x 8 (to make 64 rows) x 4 (to make 32 columns)
minutes to make a 6’ x 3’ net = hours
______hours x $7.25 per hour = total cost of time to make a hand-made fishing net
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Modern Fisheries and Nets Time to complete lesson: 30-45 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will focus on the variety of commercial fishing nets and how they operate. Students will learn the specificity of the net based on the kinds of fish it is used for, and the method of securing its catch. Students will try to modify a small net to release bycatch and learn about different bycatch reduction devices, including the Turtle Excluder Device (TED).
Background information:
What is a fishery? A fishery is a group of commercial fishermen targeting a specific species or group of species, generally using the same gear. Fisheries may be distinguished due to fish species or stock, fishing method (gear characteristics or boat size), or location. Fisheries in the United States are managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Commercial fishermen use different kinds of gear to fish for different target species, which include both nets and traps. Passive, or stationary, fishing gear include gillnets and traps, like lobster or crab pots and fishing weirs. Active, or moving fishing gear, includes seines and trawls. The mesh size and construction of the net, as well as the depth and location of fishing can help reduce unwanted catch, or bycatch.
What is bycatch? Bycatch is the unintentional capture of non-target species of fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds during fishing. This can include juvenile fish, as well as protected species like sea turtles, sea birds, and marine mammals. Bycatch can be reduced by developing and using more selective fishing methods. New gear designs are constantly being developed and tested, and many innovative ideas have emerged in an attempt to reduce bycatch, including Turtle Excluder Devices on crab traps and trawls, pingers on gillnets, and the use of circle hooks and streamer lines in long line fisheries. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz8q6uHSdmg)
Types of fishing nets
Gillnets: A gillnet is a wall of netting that hangs in the water column, usually made of monofilament nylon. The net has weights on the bottom and floats on the top to keep it vertical in the water column, and can either be drifting in the water column, or anchored to the bottom. The Figure 1: A gillnet illustration.
This manual was created by UNCW MarineQuest. For information, contact [email protected] 42 mesh of these nets is designed so a fish will be able to swim part way through the net and become entangled at gills or body when trying to back out. Gillnets must be left to soak for hours or days for this process to work and are frequently left out unattended. By using different size mesh, fishermen are able to selectively fish for certain species and sizes of fish. Gillnets are used to fish for a variety of fish species, including salmon, groundfish, skate, and sharks. Entanglement in gillnets is a major concern for all sea turtle species and many marine mammals. The netting often entangles an animal around their neck, mouth, or flippers, and can cause an animal to drown if they cannot break free, or result in cuts, constriction, and extreme fatigue if the animal remains entangled for long periods of time. Regulations to reduce bycatch in gillnets vary depending on location, and include the use of pingers (acoustic deterrent devices) to alert marine mammals of the nets presence, removing net tie-downs, time/area closures, and weak links in gillnets to allow large whales to break free. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLtknnZunrE)
Purse Seines: A purse seine is a large wall of netting that is deployed around an entire area or school of fish and then the connecting line is pulled up, “pursing” the net closed and preventing fish from escaping through the bottom of the net. To use this method, fishermen must first locate a school of fish using natural cues (seabird congregations, ruffling of surface water, or presence of fast moving dolphins), helicopters, or fish finders. Purse seines can target any kind of schooling fish, including sardines, tuna, and squid. This fishing Figure 2: A purse seine illustration. method is considered non-selective, and can easily capture non-target species, including sea turtles and marine mammals, usually bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales. Sometimes, fishermen will use Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), or floats in the surface of the water, to draw schools of fish in. This often causes many non-target animals to be caught, and eliminating the use of FADs can help reduce bycatch. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JUKvrfaslM&t=2s)
Trawls: A trawl is a large, cone-shaped net that is towed through the water behind a fishing boat. Fish will swim with the net during the tow, and are then concentrated at the cod (or back) end of the net as it is hauled to the surface. Trawls are hauled at different depths and speeds and are made of different materials and mesh sizes depending on the target species. Target species include squid, shrimp, and schooling fish. Sea turtles and marine mammals can be caught in trawls while swimming and feeding, and are often Figure 3: A trawl illustration.
This manual was created by UNCW MarineQuest. For information, contact [email protected] 43 entangled in netting or drown when the net is hauled on board. Many trawls are required to use mitigation measures, such as Turtle Excluder Devices that reduce the mortality. There are also many voluntary mitigation measures, including reducing the number of turns per tow at night, reducing duration of tow, and encouraging communication with captains to raise awareness of nearby animals. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnmGbDN278Y; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYiFJEx6qPY)
Bycatch Reduction Devices
Turtle Excluder Device: A TED is used to avoid sea turtle bycatch in trawl fisheries. A TED is placed where the Figure 4: Turtle Excluder Device illustration. large net opening funnel down to the back of the net. This device is made up of a series of bars that stretch across the net, allowing smaller fish/shrimp to pass through but stopping any large animals, like sea turtles. There is an “escape hatch” covered by a flap of netting next to the TED that allows the turtle to escape. Figure 4: A Turtle Excluder Device illustration (Marc Dando). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTEb-eSbUtQ)
Fish Eye: A fish eye is used to reduce the bycatch of fish in shrimp trawls. It creates an opening in the net that a fish is able to swim through. Shrimp, however, are not lost through this hole because they are not strong enough to swim against the current and escape.
Materials: Pictures/videos for demonstrating types of nets (pictures provided at end of lesson), produce bags for nets, bycatch reduction device materials (craft sticks, pipe cleaners, string, floral wire, cardboard, tape, netting, cups of various sizes, straws, drink holders, etc.), variety of pastas combined in a shallow bin (3 pounds elbow noodles, ½ pound shells, ½ pound bowties, ½ pound orzo or rice, and ½ pound penne), worksheets, dry erase markers/pencils, calculators
Instructions: • Start with a discussion of fishing, using the following interactive questions: How do fishermen catch fish? (with lines, traps, or nets) Do they use the same method to catch all fish? (No, different nets are used to catch different fish.) A fishery is a group of commercial fishermen fishing for a specific species or group of species, generally using the same gear. Today, we will explore different kinds of nets and see how each one works to catch animals. We will also talk about bycatch, or what happens when
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something that is not targeted gets caught in a net (turtle, bird, marine mammal, shark, etc.). • As a class, discuss some of the different kinds of fishing nets (gillnets, purse seines, and trawls) using the PowerPoint and videos in background information above. Include information on the how the net works and how animals are bycaught. Be sure to explain that a net targeting a specific fish is designed with the fish’s biology/physiology in mind. • Ask students: is it possible to catch only the one kind of animal you want when using a large net? (No) What is it called when something that is not targeted gets caught in the net? (Bycatch) Why is this bad? (endangered species can be caught, and bycaught animals are sometimes killed in process) Can we prevent this from happening? (Yes!) • Your students challenge is to find a way to reduce bycatch during the following engineering activity (Note: the hands-on portion of this activity is adapted from NOAA Fisheries Fish Watch Lesson Plans: Bycatch Reduction Devices.): 1. Before class, mix together the following pastas in a large bin to represent your “ocean”: 3 pounds elbow noodles (shrimp), ½ pound shells (coral), ½ pound bowties (turtles) ½ pound orzo or rice (invertebrates), and ½ pound penne (sharks). 2. At the beginning of the activity, explain that students will be fishing Figure 5: Sample "ocean" of pasta. today in our ocean of pasta. Using their Bycatch Reduction Device Challenge Worksheet (provided at end), have students identify what animals are represented by each type of pasta. Explain that you are trawling for shrimp/elbows today, and any other animals/pasta caught will be considered bycatch. Their model trawl will be a small produce bag and students will work in groups of 2-3. 3. Explain that groups will have 3 chances to fish and will need to count their catch and return it to the “sea” after each haul. The goal is to engineer a way to prevent bycatch in their nets. Students will fish in trial 1 without any bycatch reduction device, then design and test a device in trial 2, and improve their device in trial 3. Students should describe and/or sketch out their design on their worksheet, and explain their designs to an adult prior to obtaining supplies. Supplies should be available in a central location and should include materials like pipe cleaners,
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craft sticks, floral wire, cardboard, scissors, string/twine, straws, rubber bands, cups, etc. 4. If time allows, have students calculate the total catch and % of total catch for each animal and trial using the following formula (also provided on worksheet): 푁푢푚푏푒푟 퐶푎푢푔ℎ푡 % 표푓 푇표푡푎푙 퐶푎푡푐ℎ = ( ) 푥 100 푇표푡푎푙 퐶푎푡푐ℎ 5. When everyone has completed their trials, bring the class together and discuss the different ideas as a class. Did multiple students come up with the same ideas? How did they improve their devices? Were they able to reduce bycatch? Why is reducing bycatch important? Did they also reduce their overall catch? Why might this be bad? (Fishermen make less money) Figure 6: Sample student design in Trial 2 (top) 6. Explain that scientists and fishermen and improved in Trial 3 (bottom) need to work together to find a “sweet spot” where they can reduce bycatch as much as possible, but still catch enough to make a living. 7. Finally, discuss and demonstrate some of the strategies currently used by fishermen to reduce bycatch in trawl fisheries, including turtle excluder devices and fish excluder devices. Photos and videos are provided in the PowerPoint and in background. • Today we explored how we can prevent bycatch in one type of fishing net. How might these bycatch reduction strategies help if this gear is lost or discarded at sea? Students will notice that some strategies will still help avoid catching fish if the net is lost, while others will not be as effective.
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta. Figure 7: Additional student designs.
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Videos: • Tackling Bycatch in US Fisheries (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz8q6uHSdmg) • How Seafood is Caught – Gillnetting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLtknnZunrE) • How Seafood is Caught – Purse Seining (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JUKvrfaslM&t=2s) • How Seafood is Caught – Bottom Trawling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnmGbDN278Y) • How Seafood is Caught – Midwater Trawling (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYiFJEx6qPY) • Tiny Turtles Getting Big Help – National Geographic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTEb-eSbUtQ)
Resources: “Bycatch.” 2017. NOAA Fisheries. Accessed 31 July 2018.
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Material science of nets Time to complete lesson: 45 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will teach students how to measure tensile strength of natural and synthetic fibers that have been used in net production. They will compare strength, uses, deterioration rates, and costs to understand the merits of net composition and environmental considerations.
Background information: Materials used for fishing have changed drastically over the years, becoming stronger and more durable. When people first started fishing, they would use fishing lines and nets made of natural plant materials, including jute, hemp, and later cotton. These natural fibers often absorbed water and rotted away over time. When synthetic (man-made) materials were used to create nets in the 1960s, they quickly replaced natural materials because of their excellent fishing performance, high strength, resistance to rotting, and low price. This led to a growth in fisheries worldwide and are still commonly used today (Kim et al 2015). While having gear that is rot-resistant is good for fishermen, it is bad for the environment if that fishing gear is lost. Ghost fishing is a problem because the nets that are lost are often made out of these synthetic materials and, therefore, do not break down. Through this experiment, students will test different materials used in fishing and weigh the pros of each, both from a fishing perspective and an ecosystem perspective.
Tensile strength is the maximum load that a material can support without breaking when being stretched, divided by the original cross-sectional area of the material. 푙푏 푏푟푒푎푘𝑖푛푔 푤푒𝑖푔ℎ푡 (푙푏 ) 푇푒푛푠𝑖푙푒 푆푡푟푒푛푔푡ℎ ( 푓 ) = 푓 푚푚2 푐푟표푠푠 푠푒푐푡𝑖표푛푎푙 푎푟푒푎 (푚푚2)
Natural Materials • Jute: Dubbed the “golden fiber” jute is one of nature’s strongest vegetable fibers. Jute is extracted from the bark of the white jute plant, which grows in tropical areas of South Asia and can be harvested once a year. It is long, soft, and shiny and is extracted in lengths of 1 to 4 m with a diameter of 17-20 microns. Jute fibers are extracted from the stems after soaking in water or using a chemical retting process. Fibers are made of cellulose and lignin, and are 100% biodegradable, making this material environmentally friendly. Jute is used to make sackcloth for agricultural goods, carpet backing, twine, textile blends, and planting containers for young trees. Jute has high tensile strength, low extensibility (ability to stretch), good insulating properties, and moderate moisture retention. While jute has been used to make nets in the past, it is not a material that is commonly used today.
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• Hemp: Hemp fibers come from the stalk of the hemp plant, which grows to a height of 6-12 feet in fields. The fiber is made of cellulose and lignin, with a diameter of 16 to 50 microns. It is biodegradable, conducts heat, resists mildew, and blocks ultraviolet light. It also has good knot stability due to coarse texture. Hemp has mostly been replaced by cheaper, longer-lasting and lighter synthetic fibers for many marine uses. It is used in cordage, agrotextiles, crafting, gardening, and can be “cottonized” for clothing. • Cotton: The world’s most popular natural fiber, cotton grows in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The cotton fibers grow in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plant. The fibers are made almost completely of cellulose, making them soft and breathable with a high tensile strength. Cotton fibers are spun into yarn or thread to make fabrics, fishing nets, reusable coffee filters, tents, and paper. Synthetic Materials
• Nylon: Nylon is a synthetic thermoplastic polymer that can be melt-processed into fibers, films, or shapes. It is made of repeating units linked by peptide bonds. It is used in fabrics, tires, tents, ropes, parachutes, molded parts, and films for food packaging. Nylon is also used as monofilament in fishing line. Nylon is less absorbent than wool or cotton, has a high melting point, and is resilient with high elongation or stretching properties. It is also resistant to the damaging effects of sunlight and weather. As monofilament, nylon is cheap to produce and can be produced with different diameters, tensile strengths, and colors. It is made by melting and mixing polymers, and extruding the mixture through holes to form strands of line. Monofilament lines can also be used to create multifilament or braided fishing lines for added strength. Used mainly for a variety of fishing applications, but also for musical instruments and crafting. Monofilament is very difficult to see and can result in entanglement of marine animals. As it breaks down, the polymers do not decompose and are left as microplastics in the water or soil. • Dacron: Dacron, also known as polyester, is a polyethylene terephthalate that is light weight, durable, and resistant to wrinkles, creases, and abrasions. It was first introduced in the 1950s as a fabric material for clothing, especially suits. It has high tensile strength, is resistant to stretching, and dries quickly. Polyester is often used in plastic bottles, clothing, and ropes. • Dyneema: Dyneema, or polyethylene, is a thermoplastic that can be produced at many different strengths or densities. Therefore, it can be made into many different things, including containers, buckets, pipes, plastic bags, plastic bottles, tubing, plastic wrap, fishing line, and rope. Most braided fishing lines are made with polyethylene fibers that are then coated for added stability. When used as fishing line, it is extremely light, floats in the water, and is resistant to marine growth. However, polyethylene has a low melting point and should not be used in high friction situations. It also breaks down in sunlight rather quickly if UV stabilizers are not added during manufacturing.
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Materials: 8 experiment set ups for groups, each containing: net material cards (provided at end of lesson), set of 1 foot long materials (cotton, hemp, jute, nylon monofilament, dacron, dyneema), 30- ½ pounds, 1 bucket, digital scale, 2 S-hooks (1 small and 1 large), 1x4 testing station, brick. (Detailed materials guide, including where to get supplies, is provided at end of lesson)
Instructions: • Start out with a discussion of fishing and materials used for fishing. Ask students if they think the same materials and methods have always been used for fishing. Over the years, fishermen have used many different materials to make nets. The choice of materials depends on availability, strength, cost, and the net’s purpose. Today, we will explore some of the qualities of different net materials and weigh the pros and cons of each. • Have students form groups of 3-4 students and distribute the net material information cards. Allow the students to explore the cards and learn more about the different materials that can be used to make nets. • Distribute the following materials to each group: one wooden board with eye hook, 1 small S-hook, 1 large S-hook, one bucket of thirty ½-pound weights, 1 brick, and one sample of each material. They will test each Figure 1: How to tie a bowline knot. sample for strength using the following Figure 5: How to tie a bowline knot. procedure: 1. Obtain a sample of each of the 6 materials you will be testing in today’s experiment: jute, hemp, cotton, nylon monofilament, dacron, and dyneema. 2. Tie a bowline knot at both ends of each material to create a loop at each end. 3. Using 2 s-hooks, attach your first sample to the i-hook on your board and the bucket. Start to add weights slowly and carefully to your bucket, one at a time. (Note: if a material has a * next to it, add one brick for each * to the bucket before adding your weights). 4. Make observations of the material as you add weights; record your observations in the table on worksheet. Figure 2: Activity set up for testing materials.
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5. When your material breaks, measure the breaking weight using the luggage scale and make observations at the breaking site. 6. Complete this process for each of your 6 samples. 7. When your material breaks, measure the breaking weight using the luggage scale and make observations at the breaking site. 8. Complete this process for each of your 6 samples. • Once students have completed the experiment, compile their data on the board and calculate a class average for each material’s breaking weight. • Discuss data and observations. Explain that these breaking weights cannot be compared directly because each material has a different thickness, or cross-sectional area. In order to compare the materials directly to see which is stronger, we have to calculate each material’s tensile strength. Tensile strength is the ability of a material to withstand a pulling force, measured in units of force per cross-sectional area. To calculate this, you 2 will divide the breaking weight of your material in lbf by the cross-sectional area in mm provided. 푙푏 푏푟푒푎푘𝑖푛푔 푤푒𝑖푔ℎ푡 (푙푏 ) 푇푒푛푠𝑖푙푒 푆푡푟푒푛푔푡ℎ ( 푓 ) = 푓 푚푚2 푐푟표푠푠 푠푒푐푡𝑖표푛푎푙 푎푟푒푎 (푚푚2) • Have students calculate their own tensile strengths for each material, or calculate this together using the class averages. Discuss results, noting that the synthetic fibers are much stronger than the natural fibers. • Discuss other qualities of these materials as indicated on their information cards, including water absorbency, cost, etc. Talk about the pros and cons of each material for fishing. • Ask students to think about what could happen if these materials are lost in the ocean and become ghost nets. Discuss how this can happen (storms, boat traffic, interactions with animals/ocean floor), and the impacts on the environment and marine animals (entanglement, which can lead to death). Then discuss pros and cons of natural versus synthetic materials from an environmentalist standpoint. (Natural materials will biodegrade, synthetic materials will not)
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Resources: “Cotton.” 2018. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 August 2018.
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“Jute.” 2018. Future Fibres. Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations. Accessed 7 August 2018.
Materials Guide: Cotton (https://www.amazon.com/T-W-Evans-Cordage-03-189-Number- 18/dp/B00DKA3A8G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1489506341&sr=8- 4&keywords=cotton+seine+twine) Hemp (https://www.amazon.com/Package-feet-100-Natural- Hemp/dp/B01C90IUKK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489505908&sr=8-1- fkmr0&keywords=hemp%2Bfishing%2Btwine&th=1) Jute(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCV58LF/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01 MCV58LF&pd_rd_wg=Ld9Y0&pd_rd_r=RP8X7QP4YAPW097AYSHN&pd_rd_w=e9 lxN) Nylon monofilament (https://www.amazon.com/Test-Omniflex-Monofilament-Fishing- Yards/dp/B00ARJJUQO/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=sporting- goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1533152451&sr=1-1- fkmr0&keywords=omniflex+nylon+monofilament+6lb)
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Dacron (https://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-Dacron-Fishing-Line- Yards/dp/B0084ONG46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501008613&sr=8- 1&keywords=dacron%2Bfishing%2Bline&th=1&psc=1) Dyneema (https://www.amazon.com/SpiderWire-Braided-Stealth-Superline- Green/dp/B00LDYMADC/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting- goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1501010086&sr=1- 2&keywords=polyethylene%2Bfishing%2Bline&th=1&psc=1) ½ pound weights: We made these by filling balloons with ½ pound of aquarium gravel. Bucket: We purchased these from Lowes (https://www.lowes.com/pd/United-Solutions-5- Gallon-Residential-Paint-Bucket/3734787) Digital scale: We purchased these from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Kamandi-Digital- Weighing-Suitacse- Function/dp/B07FKSL7XF/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1533150155&sr=8- 35&keywords=digital+luggage+scale+with+hook) S-hooks: We purchased these from Lowes 1x4 testing station: We took 3-foot sections and inserted an eye hook in the center of board. This created a place to hang the materials and testing buckets.
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Jute Hemp
Uses: sackcloth for agricultural goods, carpet backing, twine, textile blends, and planting containers for young trees Material: extracted from the bark of the Uses: cordage, agrotextiles, crafting, gardening, white jute plant, jute is 100% biodegradable, and can be “cottonized” for clothing making this material environmentally friendly Material: extracted from the stalk of the hemp Cost: $$$ plant, hemp is biodegradable, making this Other: one of nature’s strongest vegetable material environmentally friendly fibers, dubbed the “golden fiber”, high Cost: $$ tensile strength, low extensibility, good Other: biodegradable, conducts heat, resists insulating properties, and moderate moisture mildew, blocks ultraviolet light, has good knot retention stability due to coarse texture
Cotton Nylon Monofilament
Uses: popular for fishing because of its Uses: fabrics, fishing nets, coffee filters, elasticity and strength, also for musical tents, and paper instruments and crafting Material: made almost completely of Material: made by melting nylon (a synthetic cellulose, cotton grows around seeds of the thermoplastic polymer) and extruding the cotton plants that grow in tropical and mixture through holes to form strands of line subtropical regions around the world Cost: $ Cost: $$$ Other: cheap to produce, comes in a variety Other: the world’s most popular natural of diameters, tensile strengths, and colors, fiber, cotton absorbs moisture, has high and is difficult to see under water tensile strength, and is biodegradable
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Dacron Dyneema
Uses: ropes, containers, plastic bags, plastic Uses: clothing (especially polyester suits in bottles, braided fishing line the 1970’s), rope, fishing line Material: Dyneema, or polyethylene, is a Material: also known as polyester, dacron is thermoplastic that can be produced at a synthetic material made of polyethylene different densities to produce different terephthalate that is popular for its strength strengths or qualities and light weigh nature Cost: $$$$ Cost: $$ Other: floats, resistant to mildew and marine Other: sinks in water, high strength, low growth, can break down quickly in sunlight if stretch, and excellent resistance to abrasion, not treated with UV stabilizers chemicals, and weather
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Dragnet Time to complete lesson: 45-60 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will focus on the physics and energy burden of drag on a whale entangled in fishing gear. A recent study (Hoop, 2016) found that entangled whales expend approximately twice the energy to swim at the same speed as when free. For this experiment, students will measure drag force of simulated whale entanglements.
Background information: North Atlantic Right Whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are a critically endangered species of large baleen whale that live throughout the Atlantic Ocean. They migrate each year to feed, mate, and give birth. They feed on zooplankton, including copepods, euphausiids, and cyprids, by skimming the surface of the water with their open mouths. While feeding and migrating, North Atlantic right whales can sometimes come in contact with fishing gear, resulting in entanglements. Entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of death for the endangered North Atlantic right whales. The impact of an entanglement depends on the location and severity, but it is always bad for the whale. Entanglements involving line or netting through the mouth and baleen or around the rostrum can prevent a whale from feeding properly, resulting in decreased body condition and eventual Figure 1: An entangled North Atlantic right whale (van der Hoop 2013) starvation. When lines or nets are wrapped around a whale’s fins or tail, they can cut off circulation or cause deep cuts as the gear digs into the skin and blubber. 85% of the current right whale population shows evidence of entanglement. Entangling gear also causes a lot of drag, causing a whale to use up to twice as much energy to swim and dive as a whale that is not entangled (van der Hoop et al 2013). Entanglement also makes a whale more vulnerable to attacks by sharks. A recent study by Arthur et al (2016) found that large whales are not able to generate enough force to break many commonly used forms of fishing line and rope. Entangled whales may tow gear for months to years, sometimes resulting in a slow death. With less than 500 North Atlantic right whales on earth, each death can have a major impact on the population.
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If an entangled whale is spotted by anyone on the water or in the air, they can notify the large whale disentanglement team in that region. Large whale disentanglement teams aim to remove as much gear as possible from these whales, but are only able to help animals that have been spotted entangled. They often have to find the whale again if the reporter cannot stay with the whale, which is a major challenge. When possible, entangled whales or their trailing gear are tagged with a locator device to help the team find the whale again. When the team is ready to attempt disentanglement, they board small inflatable boats and use a grappling hook to grab ahold of the entangling lines. They then attach a series of buoys to try to slow the whale down and keep it at the surface. As the whale gets tired, the disentanglement team can get closer and use a specialized hooked knife attached to a long pole to cut through the rope (NOAA VIDEO: Whale Disentanglement Network Teams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rhWcXhuTGo). Large whale disentanglements are not always successful and often require many disentanglement attempts to remove the gear. In some cases, only some of the gear can be removed. A study by van der Hoop et al (2015) found that by reducing the trailing length of gear by 75%, the drag is reduced by 85%. Reducing drag can help in some cases, but will not resolve entanglements that involve body wraps or rope inside the mouth. In addition, it is very dangerous for the disentanglement team to be out on the water with such large and sometimes unpredictable animals. Disentanglement team members go through a special training and authorization process under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The best thing for whales and other marine animals is to avoid entanglement in the first place. We can help avoid entanglement by reducing derelict fishing gear in the oceans and changing fishing techniques to reduce vertical lines in the water column.
Materials: Pictures, dollies, and 10 sets of the following items: right whale figurine with i-hook and leader line, wrapping paper tub, luggage scale, entangling materials with weights, reusable data sheet, dry erase marker. (Detailed materials guide, including where to get supplies, is provided at end of lesson)
Instructions: • Introduce ghost fishing and the North Atlantic Right Whale. Explain that today we will explore how fishing gear, either ghost or active, can impact a whale. • Ask students: How are whales and fish adapted to swim through the ocean? (Students will suggest that their fins, tails, gills, and streamlined or hydrodynamic bodies.) Now ask students: if these animals become entangled in fishing gear, is it still easy for them to swim? (No) Why or why not? What has changed? (Entangled body results in loss of mobility and the amount of drag, or the force and energy it takes to push through the water column increases with the addition of gear and weight.) Compare whale entanglement to students swimming with clothes on. Explain that today we will explore the change in drag on a North Atlantic right whale when we add fishing gear.
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• Break students into groups to work on experiment. In this experiment, we will be testing 4 different scenarios: a right whale that is not entangled, a right whale with fishing net entangling its body, a right whale with one body length of fishing net trailing behind, and a right whale with two body lengths of fishing net trailing behind. For each scenario, you will do 5 trials. • Instructions (also printed on worksheet): 1. Turn on the scale, hold it vertically by the handle, and ensure it is set to ounces (oz) and reads 0.0. Use the “unit” and “tare” buttons to set scale if needed. 2. Connect the leader line from the whale to the scale’s hook using the loop. The leader line is long enough to submerge the whale and line while keeping the scale out of the water. DO NOT SUBMERGE THE SCALE! 3. Place the whale into the water, and slowly sink it to the bottom of the tub. Next, pull the scale up at a constant speed and read the ounce force (ozf * – indicated Figure 2: Experiment set up for entangled whale. in oz on your scale) before the whale breaches the surface of the water. The number may fluctuate as you pull the whale through the water. Take a middle value for each trial and remember to pull at a slow and steady speed. Record your values on the handout. Repeat 5 times and take an average of your values. (Note: any fishing weights will need to be not touching the bottom of the tub before taking readings). 4. Repeat this process for each scenario, being sure to pull at the same speed for the entire experiment. Use the pictures on your worksheet to identify the different entanglement scenarios. Attach the entangling gear to your whale by placing it around the head and securing it under the fins with the blue elastics. Make sure your entanglement looks as close to the picture as possible before starting your trials.
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• Bring the class together and discuss results of experiment. Students will observe that the drag increases when the whale is entangled. Ask why this is the case? (The nets have changed the whales shape, they are no longer hydrodynamic) Have students come up with a conclusion based on their data. (It is harder for whales to swim through the water when they are entangled in fishing gear) Is this what you predicted? Remember that drag is only part of the problem. What else would be more difficult for a whale to do when entangled? (Find food, breath, etc.) • Do you think a whale the size of Watson would be able to break free of this gear? No, they cannot! It is really hard to know how much force a whale can produce, but scientists recently found a way to answer this question! Scientists have directly measured the force output of bottlenose dolphins trained to swim against a force plate. By using mathematics and the known cross sectional area and mass of a whale, scientists were able to calculate the force output for 22 species of whale, from bottlenose dolphins to blue whales. They found that while these are very strong animals capable of producing a significant force, they would not be able to break through many of the kinds of fishing line and rope that are commonly used in the fishing industry and are often found entangling whales (Arthur et al 2015). • So if whales can’t break free of this gear, it is really up to us to disentangle them whenever possible. Discuss disentanglement strategies and challenges if time allows (see background). • What happens if we cannot disentangle them, or if we do not know they are entangled in the first place? Discuss impacts of this fishing gear entangling whales (see background). • Explain that while we focused on the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale today, other animals are also impacted by entanglements in active and ghost fishing gear, including other whales, seals, sharks, and fish. • While we can sometimes disentangle a whale, we cannot save them all. It is important to try to prevent the entanglement in the first place. This is where you can help! Here are some ways you can reduce ghost fishing: help with a beach clean-up and remove trash (including fishing nets) from the beach; eat fish that have been harvested locally or sustainably and with safer fishing methods (use the Seafood Watch app as a guide, and don’t be afraid to ask where the seafood came from!); most importantly, spread the word! By teaching others about the impacts of ghost fishing gear you can help make a difference. The more people who know and care about the problem, the easier it will be to find a solution!
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
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Resources: Arthur LH, WA Mclellan, MA Piscietelli, SA Rommel, BL Woodward, JP Winn, CW Potter, DA Pabst. 2015. Estimating maximal force output of cetaceans using axial locomotor muscle morphology. Marine Mammal Science 31 (4): 1401-1426. Laist, David W. North Atlantic right whales : from hunted leviathan to conservation icon. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017. Print. Pettis, HM, RM Pace, RS Schick, PK Hamilton. 2017. North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium Annual Report Card. Report to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. October 2017. < https://www.narwc.org/uploads/1/1/6/6/116623219/2017_report_cardfinal.pdf> van der Hoop JM, P Corkeron, J Kenney, S Landry, D Morin, J Smith, MJ Moore. 2015. Drag from fishing gear entangling North Atlantic right whales. Marine Mammal Science. DOI: 10.1111/mms.12292. van der Hoop, J, P Corkeron, M Moore. 2017. Entanglement is a costly life-history stage in large whales. Ecology and Evolution 7: 92-106. van der Hoop, J. M., M. J. Moore, A. Fahlman, et al. 2013. Behavioral impacts of disentanglement of a right whale under sedation and the energetic cost of entanglement. Marine Mammal Science 30:282–307. What a Drag! Activity from Science Buddies
Materials Guide: Dollies: Since we sometimes had to fill our buckets in one place and do the activity in another, we used dollies to move buckets of water. (https://www.harborfreight.com/19-12-in-x- 14-12-in-200-lbs-capacity-polypropylene-dolly-61164.html) Right whale figurine with i-hook and leader line: We purchased the right whales from Amazon, drilled a small hole at the front of their mouth and inserted a small i-hook. We then used kite string with a loop on either end to attach the whales to our scales. (https://www.amazon.com/Safari-Ltd-Right-Whale- Construction/dp/B01LFTKU04/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506967003&sr=8- 1&keywords=right+whale+model) Wrapping paper tub: We purchased these from the Container Store. Be careful when lifting these as they can break from the weight of the water! (https://www.containerstore.com/s/vertical-gift-wrap- organizer/d?productId=10011134&q=Vertical%20Gift%20Wrap%20Organizer) Luggage scale: We purchased these from Amazon, but any scale that can read ounces will work. (https://www.amazon.com/Kamandi-Digital-Weighing-Suitacse- Function/dp/B07FKSL7XF/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=1533150155&sr=8- 35&keywords=digital+luggage+scale+with+hook) Entangling materials with weights: We made these from cotton twine and fishing weights. Our net example was made from an old seine net, but you can also use produce bags with weights added to represent nets.
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Dragnet Entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of death for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Today we will see the impacts of ghost fishing gear by looking at the
drag on entangled whales. An entangled North Atlantic right whale (van der Hoop 2013) Instructions: 1. Turn on the scale, hold it vertically by the handle, and ensure it is set to ounces (oz) and reads 0.0. Use the “unit” and “tare” buttons to set scale if needed. (DO NOT PRESS ANY BUTTONS ON SCALE ONCE WHALE IS ATTACHED) 2. Connect the leader line from the whale to the scale’s hook using the loop. The leader line is long enough to submerge the whale and line while keeping the scale out of the water. DO NOT SUBMERGE THE SCALE! 3. Place the whale into the water, and slowly sink it to the bottom of the tub. Next, pull the scale up at a constant slow speed and read the ounce force (ozf * – indicated in oz on your scale) before the whale breaches the surface of the water. The number may fluctuate as you pull the whale through the water. Take a middle value for each trial and remember to pull at a slow and steady speed. Record your values on the handout. Repeat 5 times and take an average of your values. (Note: any fishing weights will need to be off of the bottom before taking readings). 4. Repeat this process for each scenario, being sure to pull at the same speed for the entire experiment. Use the pictures on your worksheet to identify the different entanglement scenarios. Attach the entangling gear to your whale by placing it around the head and securing it under the fins with the blue elastics. Make sure your entanglement looks as close to the picture as possible before starting your trials.
Scenario #1: Whale without entanglements. Trial Drag (ozf) 1 2 3 4 5 Average
Whale with rope entangling body and trailing ½ Scenario #2: Trial Drag (ozf) body length. Entangle your whale using the guide below: 1 2 3 4
5 Average
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Whale with rope entangling body and trailing a full Scenario #3: Trial Drag (ozf) body length. Entangle your whale using the guide below: 1 2 3 4 5
Average
Scenario #4: Whale with gillnet entangling body and trailing ½ Trial Drag (ozf) body length. Entangle your whale using the guide below:
1
2
3
4
5
Average
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Biomimicry Time to complete lesson: 45-60 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will investigate different ways in which nature is able to trap and/or filter materials. One example is how humpback whales create bubble nets to concentrate and capture prey. Strategies like this inspire scientists to mimic nature to solve human challenges and problems. Students will think outside the box to propose a biomimetic solution to ghost nets.
Background information: What is Biomimicry? Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. Over billions of years of trial and error, nature has found some of the best solutions to sustainable living. Scientists and engineers are now taking inspiration from these nature-made solutions to develop designs and processes to solve human problems. Biomimicry is not about making a design look like something in nature or using raw materials from nature. It is about mimicking the strategies and techniques found in nature to solve human problems. Biomimicry is rapidly shaping the future of our planet through smart, intelligent design that is rooted in nature. (Video: What is Biomimicry? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBUpnG1G4yQ)
Strategies used in nature to capture or collect food: 1. Filter feeding: Filter feeding is like using a sieve to separate food particles from the water. Many animals participate in filter feeding, including oysters and other bivalves, sponges, corals, and some fish and whales. ▪ Whale sharks & basking shark: swim through the ocean with their mouths Figure 1: Whale shark filter feeding. open to filter small plankton. ▪ Krill have long legs with “feeding baskets” attached to collect food particles from the water and transport it to their mouth. ▪ Baleen whales use their baleen (or course bristles on either side of their jaw) to collect large amounts of tiny krill and copepods while allowing water to escape. 2. Natural nets: ▪ Bubble Nets: Humpback whales will work together to trap schools of fish by blowing streams of bubbles around the fish, creating a “net.” The whales will then swim from below the school to the surface with their mouths open, capturing fish along the way.
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▪ Mud Ringing: Bottlenose dolphins will sometimes use this unique behavior to feed in shallow water. By beating their tail, the dolphins can kick up mud in a circle around a school of fish. Then they swim in closer and closer circles, forcing the fish to jump out of Figure 2: Dolphin creating a mud ring. the water to escape the mud net. The dolphins then have an easy meal as fish jump right into their mouths! (Video: Mud-ringing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004p9mc) 3. Lures: ▪ Frogfish are lie-and-wait predators with a unique lure that they use to draw prey close enough to catch. Frogfish will sit patiently, camouflaged with their habitat. When a potential meal approaches the frogfish can waive its lure, which is a modified spine from the dorsal fin that has a rod and lure. Frogfish come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as do their lures which Figure 3: Frogfish waiting for prey. sometimes look like actual small marine animals (e.g. shrimp or worms). Lures can even regenerate if they are bitten off by prey! ▪ Deep sea anglerfish use a bioluminescent lure to help them attract prey in the darkness of the deep sea. 4. Spider webs: Spider webs come in all shape and sizes, and are used for many different survival strategies, including capturing prey, holding eggs, and sheltering or hiding the spider. They are often transparent, sticky, and strong enough to trap insects that fly into them. Spider silk is five times stronger than the same weight of steel, and spider’s web design adds to this strength. Humans have already found many uses for spider silk (including construction, medicine, and military applications) but have not found a way to farm spiders or artificially make something as strong as spider silk. 5. Mucus: ▪ Velvet worms are caterpillar-like creatures that squirt a sticky slime to capture prey. The slime quickly hardens and the worm injects digestive saliva inside and sucks out the liquefied insides of crickets, spiders, and wood lice.
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▪ Chameleons and frogs have a sticky mucus coating the tip of their tongue so they can draw prey back into their mouth quickly. ▪ Many other animals use slime as a defense, including hagfish, parrot fish, and snails. 6. Stunners: ▪ Pistol shrimp can open and snap their claw
shut so quickly that they fire a bubble Figure 4: Chameleon feeding with mucus coated tongue. bullet traveling up to 62 miles per hour. When this bubble bursts, it stuns the prey and the pistol shrimp moves in for its meal. ▪ Jellyfish use tentacles armed with cnidocytes (stinging cells) to inject venom and stun prey. A closer look at humpback whales Humpback whales are baleen whales that feed on small schooling fish, like herring and American sand lance. When feeding, humpback whales take enormous mouthfuls of water full of fish, then use their baleen to filter out the water while trapping the fish inside. To make fish easier to catch, the whales use bubble-nets to concentrate them into one area. The whales work together as a pod to do this. They start by swimming down beneath a school of fish, emitting high pitched calls to scare the fish to the surface. The whales then release “columns” and “curtains” of bubbles, which act like barriers for the fish. Once concentrated, the pod leader will give the signal for the whales to swim up with mouths open. (Videos: Whales' Bubble Net Fishing | Nature's Great Events | BBC Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8iDcLTD9wQ , Whales Team Up in Amazing Bubble-Net Hunt | National Geographic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z00G0RxeSP0)
Figure 5: Humpback whale bubble net feeding strategy.
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Materials: Nature’s Strategies Cards (provided at end of lesson), 4 large tubs for testing stations, “fish” (mixture of paper, wax paper, and parchment paper hole punches), scissors, engineering materials for bubble nets (bubblers, tubing, T joints, air stones, long straws, batteries) and filters (cups, pipe cleaners, floral wire, feathers, etc.) (Detailed materials guide, including where to get supplies, is provided at end of lesson)
Instructions: • Start with a discussion of biomimicry, break down the word to help students understand that we are “mimicking nature.” Ensure students understand that biomimicry is not about making a design look like something in nature or using raw materials from nature. • Distribute the “Nature’s Strategies Cards” and have students explore the examples of biomimicry. Discuss as a class what kinds of human devices are modeled after these strategies, or could be modeled after these strategies. • Explain that in today’s society, we are challenged to find a way to harvest seafood from the ocean sustainably. The goal is to avoid harming the physical environment, avoid adding pollutants or marine debris, reduce the impact to other species, and do so in a sustainable matter. We will work together to create a prototype of a harvesting device using biomimicry. • Take a closer look at humpback whale bubble nets using pictures and descriptions, or videos if available. Be sure that students understand that the whales first concentrate fish using a bubble net, and then filter the fish from the water with the help of their baleen. Explain that today the goal is to try and create a fish harvesting device using this humpback whale strategy as inspiration. • Break the class into 4 groups. Explain that each group will work together to mimic humpback whale feeding. Half of each group will engineer a bubble net to concentrate fish, while the other half will engineer a filtering device for removing fish from the water. Our testing station is a tub of water with small circles of paper, wax paper, and parchment paper as our “fish”. Explain that the groups will need to work together to test and improve their devices. Show the class the supplies available for each challenge, and give them time to design and test their devices. • Bring the class back together and discuss the designs, what worked, and what did not work. Review how these designs are Figure 6: Students designing their harvesting device.
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examples of biomimicry as they each use strategies found in nature. Ask the class to think about how this would be different if we were fishing in the ocean. • Finally, show students pictures of the system proposed by the Portuguese scientists to use a bubble net to harvest fish from the ocean. Have them look at the design, explain how it works, and weigh the pros and cons of this device (see below). ❖ Teresa Mouga and her team at the School of Tourism and Technology of the Sea in Peniche, Portugal designed a bubble net that corral fish the way a humpback whale does. The device is composed of an air compressor, and air-lung, two sets of hoses, floaters and a ballast. ❖ The device uses a bubble net to restrain the fish, then use a vacuum pump to suck them up. These nets would have economic and ecological advantages over regular purse seines. Economic advantages include lower maintenance costs, higher quality of captured fish, higher durability and more resistant materials, and twice the life cycle of traditional nets. Ecological advantages include reduction of bycatch and discards and elimination of ghost fishing. ❖ They tested this bubble net in aquaculture settings and proved that the fish were restrained in the interior of the bubble net. When they tried the bubble net out in the ocean, they found that it was very difficult to stabilize due to the currents. More research is needed to make this a practical fishing method. • Here are some other ways you can reduce ghost fishing: help with a beach clean-up and remove trash (including fishing nets) from the beach; eat fish that have been harvested locally or sustainably and with safer fishing methods (use the Seafood Watch app as a guide, and don’t be afraid to ask where the seafood came from!); most importantly, spread the word! By teaching others about the impacts of ghost fishing gear you can help make a difference. The more people who know and care about the problem, the easier it will be to find a solution!
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta. Resources: Williams, Amber. 2011. “Killer Bubbles: Humpback Whales Use Bubble-nets to Capture Prey.” Audubon.
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Lewis, JS. 2003. Mud plume feeding, a unique foraging behavior of the bottlenose dolphin in the Florida Keys. Gulf of Mexico Science 21 (1): 92-97. “Mud-ringing.” 2009. BBC One Life: Challenges of Life.
Materials Guide: Large tubs: We purchased the clear version of these from Walmart (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-7-5-Gal-28-L-Stacker-Tote-Black/43002358). Bubblers: We purchased these from Amazon – be sure to have D batteries on hand! (https://www.amazon.com/Marine-Metal-Aeratr-Bubble-1- 5V/dp/B000EYULIS/ref=pd_sim_200_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000EYULIS&pd_rd_r= GW0YZ2190JXW0FA8B04D&pd_rd_w=2adkS&pd_rd_wg=Xm0rv&psc=1&refRID=GW0YZ 2190JXW0FA8B04D) Tubing: We purchased this from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/PENN-Standard-Airline- Tubing- Accessories/dp/B01L4BV1E2/ref=pd_sim_199_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01L4BV1E2& pd_rd_r=9Z5Z6R8FE56R944WA4PS&pd_rd_w=0tg4D&pd_rd_wg=SRV9H&psc=1&refRID= 9Z5Z6R8FE56R944WA4PS) T joints: We purchased these from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Mudder-Connector- Plastic-Aquarium-Straight/dp/B01MXVVZ44/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1504124923&sr=8- 4&keywords=air+pump+t+connector). Air stones: We purchased these from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BG6LH7C/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A1THAZDO WP300U&psc=1 and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQGXBJ8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=A1THAZDO WP300U&psc=1).
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Upcycling of Derelict Nets Time to complete lesson: 45-60 minutes
Purpose of module: This module will focus on the efforts of organizations that are working to mitigate the impacts of ghost nets and other derelict fishing gear. We will highlight the work by Covanta and other Fishing for Energy partnerships. Students will learn (1) how entrepreneurs are upcycling old synthetic nets into carpets and skateboard decks, (2) how they can upcycle an old net and plastic grocery bags into a new fused material, and (3) be able to think of their own possible upcycled items.
Background information: Upcycling is the process of transforming waste materials into new products of a higher quality or value, also known as creative reuse. Upcycling is different from recycling because the end products are more either equally or more valuable than the initial product with upcycling, whereas recycled materials are generally less valuable. Many items can be upcycled into new and useful products. Below are some examples of how fishing nets and materials are upcycled. Each includes a brief description, as well as a link to their website and videos about the programs. • Fishing for Energy: NFWF, Covanta, Schnitzer, & NOAA (https://www.covanta.com/In-Your- Community/Community- Engagement/Fishing-for-Energy-Program). Through Fishing for Energy, old and derelict fishing nets are collected both through at sea clean-up efforts and in collection bins at ports around the country. The nets are taken to Schnitzer steel, where they are stripped of all
recyclable materials and shredded into Figure 1: Fishing for Energy gear drop off site. smaller pieces. The nets are then taken to Covanta, where they are burned to produce energy (in the form of steam) that is used to power the local communities. (Videos: Fishing for Energy Project Turns Marine Debris Into Energy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6jJBWAc6zE, Covanta Energy-from- Waste – How it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSl7i8b-qOI, Energy-from- Waste Facility Virtual Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KmTbHInScw&t=33s, Curiosity Quest: Fishing for Energy (long detailed video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkXqQJeebCc&t=26s&list=WL&index=14) • Net-Works: Turning fishing nets into carpet squares (http://net-works.com/). NetWorks helps local communities in the Philippines by paying them to collect fishing nets out of
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the ocean and off of beaches. These nets are then sold to Net-Works and sent off to a recycling plant in Slovania, and finally to factories in the US and Italy where they are turned into carpet tiles by Interface. This helps keep local communities and the marine environment free of debris, and helps locals begin to plan and save money. The program is now expanding into Thailand and Indonesia. (Video: Interface | Net-Works: turning waste nets into carpets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX6Uidpg3VM) • Bureo: Turning fishing nets into skateboards and sunglasses (https://bureo.co/). Bureo is a California and Chile based organization that is upcycling ghost fishing gear into skateboards and sunglasses. Nets are collected along the coast of Chile where they are turned into the decks for the skateboards. The nets are first shredded and melted Figure 2: How Bureo turns nets into skateboards. until they turn into hard plastic pellets that are then heated and molded into decks. The decks are transported to California, where the USA-made wheels and hardware are attached before the board is ready for sale. Each board contains about 30 square feet of nets and over 15 tons of net have been recycled so far! These skateboards are not only fun to ride, but they are also used as an educational tool to teach youth about plastic pollution in our oceans. (Video: Bureo – Recycled Fishnet Skateboards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2T7sOtaBtY) • Adidas: Turning marine debris into stylish sneakers (http://www.adidas.com/us/parley). Adidas has created a sneaker made out of marine debris. These sneakers, called Parley, are made of plastic bottles and fishing nets! The ocean plastic is collected and turned into thread that is woven into the running shoes, with each Figure 3: Adidas Parley sneakers. pair using an average of 11 plastic bottles. (Video: adidas x Parley – From threat into thread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iisMyJdkyqg) • Sea Bags: Turning old sails into totes (https://seabags.com/tale). Sea Bags is a Portland, ME based company that takes old sail boat sails and creates products including tote bags, coasters, placemats, notebooks, dog leashes, and other useful items. They take old sails, cut off the hardware, trim them into the correct size, add designs, and Figure 4: Sea Bags made of upcycled sails.
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stitch them all together with nautical rope as handles. (Video: The Sea Bags Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujWVmSajx_U)
Materials: Upcycling examples (Bureo skateboard, frisbee, wallets, pencil cases, net bag, etc.), pictures, irons, parchment paper, protective pads for tables, plastic bags, nets. Note: Try to save/collect a variety of plastic bags for this activity, including grocery bags, bags from specialty stores like Old Navy, Bed Bath, & Beyond, and gift stores, cleaned plastic food bags, plastic packaging and even plastic tablecloths. Bags will vary in the quality of plastic, so you may be able to use fewer sheets when the quality is high.
Instructions: • Discuss upcycling with students using the following interactive questions: Have you heard the word upcycle before? What do you think it means? Does it sound like another word you have heard before? (Recycle) How is upcycling different from recycling? (Upcycling is different from recycling because the end products are either equally or more valuable than the initial product with upcycling, whereas recycled materials are generally less valuable.) • Show students some examples of how old fishing nets can be upcycled into new materials using the pictures and videos available in the PowerPoint. Highlight the work that Covanta, NetWorks, and Bureo are doing (see Background for more information). • Discuss these examples, then brainstorm together other ideas. • Today we will upcycle using old nets and plastic bags. Students will be able to fuse plastic bags together into a stronger plastic material using heat from an iron. Netting can also be fused inside this plastic for added strength and design, or can be added as decoration, strap, or anything else the students come up with! • Instructions for fusing plastic (guides with pictures provided at end of lesson): 1. Flatten plastic bags and trim off bottom seam and handles. Trim plastic to the desired design size. 2. Layer between 6 and 8 plastic sheets on top of each other. If incorporating netting, try putting one layer of netting in the middle of four plastic sheets. 3. Place your layers between two pieces of parchment paper on top of an iron safe surface. 4. Using the Rayon setting on the iron (medium-low), move constantly over the parchment paper to fuse the plastic. Flip your design over and iron the opposite side. Start with 10 seconds on each side, check for fusion, and iron more if needed. Be careful: your design and parchment paper will be hot after ironing. • Once your plastic is fused, you can use it as a fabric to make many different items, including stronger bags, technology cases, clutches, pencil cases, wallets, artwork, and more! Be creative! Be sure to incorporate netting in some way – whether you use it for a
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decorative bow, mesh siding in a bag, your strap or handle, and so on! Directions with pictures for creating a pencil case and a wallet are included in this kit. • At the end of class, have students share their designs with each other, making sure to indicate how they incorporated nets into their design. • Discuss other ways students can help prevent ghost fishing. (Participate in a beach clean- up, eat sustainably harvested seafood, and spread the word!)
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Resources: Almendral, Aurora. 2015. “Philippines project turns ‘ghost’ fishing nets into carpets.” PRI.
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How to upcycle using fused plastic
Step 1: Flatten your plastic bag and trim off the bottom inch of the bag and the handles, leaving you with one large rectangular piece of plastic.
Step 2: Layer desired number of sheets of plastic on Step 3: Sandwich your stack of plastic sheets in top of each other (6-8 for grocery bags, 3-4 higher between two layers of parchment paper. This will quality plastic bags). If using netting in your design protect your iron from the melted plastic. (as shown here), place one layer of netting in the middle of 4 total sheets of plastic.
Step 4: Using your pre-heated iron set to medium-low, iron your design by keeping the iron moving continuously for about 10 seconds. It is important to keep the iron moving to prevent burning holes in the plastic. Flip your design and parchment paper over and iron the other side for an additional 10 seconds. The exact timing and temperature will vary depending on iron and plastic used. Check for plastic fusion by rubbing it between your fingers. If the material separates back into individual sheets, continue to iron until fused. If you burn holes through the plastic, turn your iron to a lower setting and be sure to keep it moving. You should end up with one thick piece of plastic that is fused throughout.
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How to make a pencil case from fused plastic
Step 1: Trim your piece of fused plastic into a rectangle. Fold one end of the rectangle over about ¾ of the way to create the pouch for your pencil case. Sandwich your folded design between two sheets of parchment paper. Carefully fuse the left and right side of the pouch closed (outlined in orange squares below). Do NOT fuse the center of the pouch, or you will end up with one thick piece of fused plastic.
Step 2: Once the edges are fused, trim them and the top flap of your pencil case as desired. Place Velcro dots on the flap, and fold over and secure them to the base of your pouch.
You’re done! Be creative with your design and what you store inside!
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How to make a wallet from fused plastic
Step 1: Trim your piece of fused plastic into a 10”x6.5” rectangle. Fold your rectangle in half to create the pouch for your wallet. Place a piece of parchment paper at least 7 inches long in between these two sheets to prevent fusion in the middle. Sandwich your folded design between two pieces of parchment and use your iron to carefully fuse the left and right side of the pouch closed (outlined in orange squares below). Do NOT fuse the center of the pouch, or you will end up with one thick piece of fused plastic.
Step 2: Once fused, fold your wallet in half and trim edges as desired. Adding a Velcro dot to the inside will help keep your wallet closed.
You’re done! Be creative with your design and what you store inside!
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Ghost Net Impacts on Coral Reefs Time to complete lesson: 20-30 minutes
Purpose of module: This module allows students to simulate the impacts of ghost nets on a coral reef. Students will build a model healthy reef ecosystem, damage it using a ghost net, and then remove it from the reef. Students will conduct a damage assessment caused by the net dragging across the reef using quadrats.
Background information: Coral reefs, also known as the rainforests of the sea, are one of the most diverse and ecologically complex marine ecosystems. They are found in warm, tropical waters with high salinity and high light exposure. A coral reef is made up of individual coral polyps that resemble tiny anemones and are attached to the reef. Each coral polyp is less than half an inch in diameter, but they live in colonies which Figure 1: A healthy coral reef system. can expand and take up the size of a small car. Reef building corals have a skeleton made of calcium carbonate, a mineral that is left behind when an individual coral dies. Another coral may settle on that spot and grow on top of the remaining skeleton. This allows a coral reef to grow a few centimeters each year, eventually reaching massive sizes. Coral reefs provide food and shelter for many plants, invertebrates, and fish. It is estimated that at least 25% of all marine life spendCredit: part MostBeautifulThings.net of their life at a coral reef. Coral reefs provide shelter for small fish, and small fish attract larger fish, which in turn attract large predators like sharks. Coral reefs encourage the growth of algae and sponges, which attract sea turtles and other herbivores, increasing the biodiversity of these ecosystems. Coral reefs also protect our coastlines by reducing wave energy up to 95%. Coral extracts can even be used to develop treatments for asthma, arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. The high biodiversity and productivity make coral reefs popular areas for both commercial and recreational fishing. However, coral reefs are very delicate and complex, and are very susceptible to damage by fisheries and derelict (lost or abandoned) fishing gear. When fishing gear, either active or derelict, comes in contact with a reef, it can cause abrasions, breakage, and smothering of corals. Further damage can be inflicted Figure 2: A coral reef entangled in ghost fishing nets when the debris is moved by tides, currents, and storms. Damage to reef-forming or hard corals can cause serious damage to a reef
This manual was created by UNCW MarineQuest. For information, contact [email protected] 91 ecosystem and can reduce the integrity of the reef as a whole. Coral reefs are also threatened by pollution, climate change, changing ocean chemistry, and invasive species.
Materials: 10 coral reef set ups for groups, each containing: set of 12 reef figurines with magnets, ocean floor tray, 2 ghost nets, reef animals, laminated worksheet, plastic quadrat, dry erase markers, spinner. (Detailed materials guide, including where to get supplies, is provided at end of lesson)
Instructions: • Start by introducing students to coral reefs, using the following interactive questions as a guide: Who has seen a coral reef before? Where were you? What do all these places have in common? (Warm water, near equator) What is a coral? How do they live and grow? What lives at or in a coral reef? What can impact a coral reef? (climate change, fishing, ghost nets, human interaction) • Through today’s activity, we will answer the question: How can ghost nets impact a coral reef? Review ghost nets if needed: what is a ghost net? (a fishing net that was lost or abandoned at sea) How are fishing nets lost? (usually due to storms, boat traffic, old age, and interaction with large animals) Do fishermen want to lose their nets? (No, they need their nets to make a living) What kinds of impacts do ghost nets have on the ocean? (They can catch and kill many kinds of animals, including fish and marine mammals) • Break students into 9 groups – students will work through the activity in their groups, but we will go through each part as a class one step at a time. 1. Have students start by creating a healthy coral reef model on the “sandy” portion of their tray. Note that the entire tray is under water, but the blue represents deeper water. As they build, explain that as a class today we are representing an entire reef ecosystem, like the Great Barrier Reef, and that each individual group represents a patch in that reef. Review what kinds of Figure 3: Healthy coral reef model. animals are in their coral reefs and how we know the reef is healthy (very colorful, many animals living there). 2. Students will then simulate a ghost net dragging along the reef. Have students look at their green weighted net and make observations about it. Some ghost nets, including sink-gillnets and trawls, have weights on one side and floats on the other allowing them to remain vertical in the water column. When these nets get caught on coral reefs, they will often drag across with the ocean current and cause damage to the reef. (Have students suspend their green weighted net in the blue portion of their tray, and drag the net across slowly as the ocean currents would. The net will dislodge some of the corals.) Discuss observations. 3. Have students hold up the piece(s) of coral that were knocked over the easiest and ask why they chose these ones. (These are the tall and branching corals that have
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lots of places for the net to become entangled). Scientists have found that these tall branching corals are damaged the most by ghost gear. Ask students if a coral can survive when knocked over or broken. (No, they are animals and they build on each other, so if one is broken nothing else can grow on top of it) Corals only grow a few centimeters a year, so if they are damaged it takes a long time to recover. 4. Next, have students rebuild their coral reef to demonstrate another ghost net impact. Remind students that in real life this would take decades or centuries to happen. 5. Now let’s take a look at what happens when a different ghost nets enter an area. Have students pick up their piece of gillnet and compare/contrast it with the green weighted net. (Have one student hold the net as it slowly sinks down through the water column.) As a net drifts down, some animals would leave the reef and escape. (Other students in group will start to remove some of the animals as the net is drifting down). When a net settles on a reef, it continues to move around with the motion of the ocean, causing the net to become Figure 4: Students placing ghost net on coral reef. tangled around the corals. Coral reefs are often damaged through fragmentation, abrasion, and smothering by nets. (Students will be the “ocean” and entangle their coral reef and animals with the net). 6. When a reef becomes entangled, some animals will continue to use it for shelter and/or food. Some of these fish are small enough to fit Figure 5: Quadrat and spinner used for activity. through the net, while others become entangled. Entangled sea life may die due to starvation or drowning, and the dead animals will attract other marine creatures to the reef. (Have students use their animals to swim in and out of the net – some will get caught along the way). 7. Wave action around reefs can increase during storms like hurricanes, causing the entangled net to drift back and forth suddenly. This can cause corals to become dislodged or break apart. (Have students simulate a hurricane by moving the net back and forth, knocking over a few corals in the process) 8. Coral reefs and other living creatures often remain entangled indefinitely, but sometimes scuba divers will work to retrieve these ghost nets and free the marine
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organisms entangled in them. Before removing nets, scientists will collect data on the damage caused by the ghost net, usually using quadrats. (Have students place their quadrat randomly on top of their reef and note the damage the ghost net has caused on that reef system using the directions on the worksheet. They will sample in 3 locations if time allows) 9. Finally, have students carefully remove the net from the damaged reef and put away materials. 10. Have students calculate the percent surface area damaged by the ghost net and the percentage of marine life that died as a result of entanglement using the equations on the back of the worksheet. • Discuss as a class how each reef was impacted by their ghost nets. How is it the same? How is it different? Were certain corals or animals more susceptible to damage by the net? Calculate or estimate the average percent surface area damaged by nets for the entire class. • Discuss current research on coral reefs and ghost nets. Many studies have looked at how coral reefs are damaged by derelict fishing gear, especially in Florida and the Hawaiian Islands. Damage to corals is usually in the form of tissue abrasion, which can cause individual or colony mortality. Corals can also be broken or dislodged, with branching gorgonian corals often the most affected. • Discuss other threats to coral reefs if time allows (coral bleaching, destructive fishing, climate change). • While we can sometimes disentangle a reef, it is not always possible. It is important to try to prevent the entanglement in the first place. This is where you can help! Here are some ways you can reduce ghost fishing: help with a beach clean-up and remove trash (including fishing nets) from the beach; eat fish that have been harvested sustainably and with safer fishing methods (use the Seafood Watch app as a guide, and don’t be afraid to ask where the seafood came from!); most importantly, spread the word! By teaching others about the impacts of ghost fishing gear you can help make a difference. The more people who know and care about the problem, the easier it will be to find a solution!
Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Resources: Corals and Coral Reefs. The Ocean Portal Team at Smithsonian Institute.
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Materials Guide: Reef figurines with magnets: We purchased reef figurines from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Artificial-Decorative-Aquarium-Ornament-10- piece/dp/B01D26K44A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1533133283&sr=8- 2&keywords=cnz++artificial+coral) and hot glued small magnets to the bottom so they would “attach” to the trays. Ocean floor tray: We used small cookie sheets and covered them with sand-colored contact paper. We indicated deeper water using transparent blue duct tape cut in a wavy pattern. (Walmart) Ghost nets: We use two different netting for the ghost nets. One was from an old seine net that we added shot weights to on one side. The second net was a cast net that we cut up. However, you could use all the same netting from a cast net as long as you add weights to one. Reef animals: We purchased a variety of animals, including colorful fish (https://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-Goldfish-pieces-Assorted- Colors/dp/B004I0SAG4/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1494003278&sr=8- 16&keywords=fish+beads), sea turtles (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017Y09OD2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&p sc=1&smid=A2YU3VAJVHJPP1), and larger predators (https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Figures-Birthday-CUPCAKE- Toppers/dp/B01ELYPODS/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?s=toys-and- games&ie=UTF8&qid=1533133858&sr=1-2- fkmr2&keywords=novelty+assorted+sharks+and+whales). Quadrat: We cut up the plastic base of a set of silk flowers from Michaels for our quadrats. These could also be 3D printed or printed on overhead sheets. Spinner: We used spinners purchased from a craft store and added a background to tell students the fate of each spin. You could also use dice to show whether animals survived, with numbers 1, 2, & 3 representing death, number 4 representing injured, and numbers 5 & 6 representing survived.
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COLLECTING DATA USING A GRIDDED QUADRAT
Scientists often use quadrats to study large ecosystems like coral reefs. Today, you will use your quadrat to measure 3 areas of your reef, and then use your data to calculate impacts to the entire reef by calculating a percentage for your sampling sites. 1. Randomly place your quadrat on top of your reef, and indicate where the reef has been damaged by the ghost net using the table labeled “Location #1” below. 2. Use circles to indicate the presence of a coral and triangles to represent any animals in the quadrat. Be sure to outline the entire coral in your data collection, even if it is found in multiple boxes. 3. For each coral that has been removed or damaged by the ghost net, mark the circle with an X. If the coral is not damaged, mark it with a ✓ . 4. Use the spinner for each animal in your quadrat to determine if it is found alive, dead, or injured. If your animal is dead or injured, mark the triangle with an X. If your animal is alive, mark the triangle with a ✓ . 5. Repeat this process for 2 other random locations on your reef. 6. Once you have collected your data, carefully remove the ghost net. 7. Use the back of this sheet to estimate the percent surface area damaged by the ghost net and the percentage of marine life killed/injured.
Location #1 A B C
1
2
Credit: NOAA 3
Location #2 Location #3 A B C A B C
1 1
2 2
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The Haunted Ocean A role play activity about the perspectives of ghost fishing Time to complete lesson: 45-60 minutes
Purpose of module: Through this lesson, students will watch a video and take on the role of a stakeholder involved in finding a solution to ghost fishing. By debating possible solutions as a class, students will learn how and why these stakeholders must work together to find solutions suitable for all involved.
Background information: Every year, fishing gear is lost in our oceans due to storm activity, boat traffic, and gear abandonment. An estimated 640,000 tons of abandoned nets are spread across the world’s oceans each year. These nets only account for 10% of ocean trash, but each year ghost gear kills 136,000 seals, sea lions, and large whales, not including birds, turtles, fish, and other species. This is called ghost fishing, and it is a global problem. Humans can also be impacted through entanglement of boat propellers and loss of fish as a food resource. Everyone is impacted by ghost fishing, and there are many players involved in finding a solution.
Materials: Perspectives of Ghost Fishing worksheet for students (page 4), Our Ghost Fishing Solution worksheet (page 5), 7 devices with access to YouTube, video summary for teacher reference (pages 6-10), video links (playlist of videos available at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSEmieSHEF-6y6eUK2ZP-3wEP0RMuTwko)
Instructions: • Start out by posing the following dilemma to the class: The ocean is haunted by ghost nets. We need to find a way to make the ocean a safer and more productive place for all. Today, we will evaluate some possible solutions to see which would be best. You will take on the role of one stakeholder involved in finding this solution. • Break students into 7 groups and distribute the Perspectives of Ghost Fishing worksheets. Assign each group one of the following perspectives and have them watch that perspective video, using the worksheet to take notes and organize thoughts: 1. Marine Technology Expert (Shawna Rowe, https://youtu.be/v1J1PlJTiac) 2. Marine Mammal Stranding Expert (William McLellen, https://youtu.be/PRQ6Pvg3eD0) 3. Net Makers (Steven Parrish and Nick Bennet, S & S Trawl Shop, https://youtu.be/HvP4EkRd3Us) 4. Fisheries Biologist (Frederick Scharf, https://youtu.be/xcWDt4HS1_M) 5. NC Marine Patrol Officer (Bryan Eure, https://youtu.be/2rtg9nrPt0Q)
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6. Seafood Distributor (Gene Long, Owner of Motts Channel Seafood, https://youtu.be/cUhQIG8uP_w) 7. Marine Debris Expert (Bonnie Monteleone, https://youtu.be/Kehl6uGxOrg) • Allow students to become familiar with their perspective and discuss it with their group. Have the group brainstorm a possible solution to ghost fishing from their knowledge. • Bring the class together as a council looking for a solution to ghost fishing. Start by having each group introduce themselves, including a bit about their background and perspective on the issue. Allow time for questions after each perspective. • At this point, students will have a better understanding of the many stakeholders involved in finding a solution to ghost fishing. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss their initial solution and modify if they wish. Then, go around and share each group’s solution, debating the pros and cons for each one. Here are a few of NOAA’s suggestions to help drive discussion as needed (https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/publications- files/Ghostfishing_DFG.pdf): 1. Reducing fishing efforts (shorter soak times, limiting fishing time, less gear per boat) 2. Reducing ghost fishing efficiency of gear (improve biodegradable aspects for release or disabling of lost gear over time) 3. Improvements to gear, integrated GPS to allow for immediate recover, port or state monitoring, and inspection of gear 4. Clean up existing ghost gear. Some programs have worked to pay fishermen to collect ghost gear in the off season (Olive Ridley Project, COVANTA, Ghost Nets Australia). While removing ghost gear is expensive, it also creates new revenue as fishermen are able to increase their harvests. By focusing removal efforts in areas that are highly fished, this strategy can have an even bigger impact. However, the really important solution is to prevent nets from being lost or abandoned in the first place. 5. Improved gear design to reduce likelihood of accidental loss 6. Spatial zoning of fisheries to avoid gear conflicts and increase navigational awareness of gear in the water 7. Provide affordable port disposal facilities and incentives to discourage improper disposal at sea (Covanta is a company that provides free fishing gear disposal at ports around the globe and then collects that gear to turn it into energy) • Once all groups have shared, determine if one suggested solution (or a combination of multiple) will work for the group. Or, work as a group to develop a new solution to reduce the impacts of ghost fishing. • Once a solution is identified, have each group identify a way that they can contribute to that solution. As a class, complete the Our Ghost Fishing Solution worksheet and return to the Ghost (net) Busters Program Coordinator, Laura Sirak-Schaeffer, for feedback and Certificate of Completion at [email protected].
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• Remember, there are also ways that you can help stop ghost fishing! Here’s how: 1. Eat local seafood or seafood that have been harvested sustainably and with safer fishing methods (Seafood Watch: http://www.seafoodwatch.org/) 2. Help with a beach clean-up and clean trash (including fishing nets) from beaches 3. Spread the word! Teach others about the impacts of ghost fishing gear Funding: The development of this UNCW MarineQuest Ghost (net) Busters curriculum is generously supported through NFWF’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
Additional Resources: • Ghost (net) Busters webpage: https://www.uncw.edu/Marinequest/grantsprojects/ghostnetbusters.html • World Animal Protection on ghost fishing (videos and infographics): https://www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/our-work/animals-wild/sea-change-campaign- tackling-ghost-fishing-gear • Covanta’s Fishing for Energy Program: https://www.covanta.com/In-Your- Community/Community-Engagement/Fishing-for-Energy-Program • NOAA Marine Debris Program webpage: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/ • NOAA Marine Debris educational materials: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/activities- and-curricula • Impact of “Ghost Fishing” via Derelict Fishing Gear – 2015 NOAA Program Report: https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/publications-files/Ghostfishing_DFG.pdf
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Perspectives of Ghost Fishing Perspective: ______
Answer the following questions from your assigned perspective.
Describe your background.
Why is ghost fishing a problem?
Who and/or what is impacted by ghost fishing?
Why is prevention important?
What are possible solutions?
How are you a part of the solution?
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Our Ghost Fishing Solution
School: ______Grade: ______
Teacher name & email: ______Our class solution to ghost fishing:
How will each of the following stakeholders contribute to this solution? Stakeholder Contribution Marine Technology
Expert
Marine Mammal
Stranding Expert
Net Maker
Fisheries Biologist
Marine Patrol Officer
Seafood Distributor
Marine Debris Expert
Return to the Ghost (net) Busters Program Coordinator for feedback and Certificate of Completion: [email protected]
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Perspectives of Ghost Fishing Video Summaries
Full Video link: https://youtu.be/b7WXlOUf54g
Introduction: Every year, fishing gear is lost in our oceans due to storm activity, boat traffic, and gear abandonment. Derelict fishing gear haunts our oceans, catching all kinds of marine organisms in its path. This is called ghost fishing, and it is a global problem. Everyone is impacted by ghost fishing, and there are many players involved in finding a solution.
Shawna Rowe, Marine Technology Educator (https://youtu.be/v1J1PlJTiac) • Historically fishing has been a way of life, it is what has put food on the table for generations • Most of change in fishing tools is in the materials being used, we have transitioned from plant based materials to synthetic • Fishing gear is lost in the ocean in many ways, including storms, currents, boat traffic, poor maintenance, and occasionally abandonment • Gillnets are a bigger problem than trawls because of the way these gears work in the water • Gillnets in NC are highly regulated and we don’t use them as much as we used to or as much as they are used elsewhere • We are all impacted by ghost fishing because it reduces our fish populations and other species, including sea turtles, birds, and mammals • Biodegradable materials would reduce ghost fishing, but they will not be cost effective for our fishermen to use • Other solutions include paying attention to weather patterns, using tags and/or GPS on gear to help locate gear, use side-scan sonar to see what is on the bottom that we could be hung up on • We also need volunteers and fishermen to bring gear in and have an incentive for them to do so
William McLellen, Marine Mammal Stranding Expert (https://youtu.be/PRQ6Pvg3eD0) • Marine mammals strand for a number of reasons, including viruses, ship strikes, and fishing gear entanglement
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• In strandings, it is hard to draw a line between active gear and ghost gear • Marine mammals and commercial fishermen are targeting the same resource and often interact • Sometimes marine mammals will feed from nets, making it easy for them to become entangled in fishing gear. Since our fishing lines are so strong that these animals cannot break them, we have developed “weak links” that allow whales to break free of at least part of that gear. • We need to find a way that fishermen can still catch the fish, but that marine mammals can get away if they become stuck (tie-downs) • We also need to work to get the gear out and report lost gear • It is a fine line – gear needs to be strong enough to recover, but also allow animals to get out • We also have a LOT of gear out there, so it would be good to reduce the amount of gear, which will help both marine mammals and fishermen • Marine mammal scientists are important because we need to understand all aspects of the problem. The commercial fishermen can tell us how they can fish, and marine mammal scientists help us understand what the marine mammals need.
Steven Parrish and Nick Bennet, Net Makers at S & S Trawl Shop (https://youtu.be/HvP4EkRd3Us) • We use nets for work and pleasure, we build, use, and catch food with them • A turtle excluder (or TED) is basically a filter, it lets what you do want in, and keeps what you don’t want out. Fish eyes allow unwanted fish that make it through the TED to escape. • They were designed through trial and error – we knew we needed to do something about bycatch. The fishermen were the ones who tested the nets to see how they worked. Fishermen do their part • Fishing regulations have changed from very little to a lot. TED came out in the 1980s, and there was some push back at the beginning, but today they all use TEDs because of the help they give in reducing bycatch • Steven Parrish Sr. was on the panel to help figure a lot of this out • In this area ghost fishing is not a big problem. Fishermen do not want to lose their gear because it is expensive. Very few nets are lost completely in the shrimp industry, fishermen are always hooked to it so it is easy to get back. • While the problem here may be small, when that problem is multiplied over the entire world it can result in a great reduction of our fish populations.
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• Work with fishermen who have a ghost fishing problem, we can find solutions and then apply them over a large scale so everyone wins. Fishermen as a whole are out there to help and do their part for the environment • Frederick Scharf, Fisheries Biologist (https://youtu.be/xcWDt4HS1_M) • In order to sustainable manage a fish stock, we need to know a lot about the fish. We work a lot with fishermen to understand how they interact with fish stocks so we can better manage them. • Scientists use nets a lot for research, especially gillnets to catch adults. We also partner with fishermen and worked with them to catch fish. • Ghost fishing is a problem because it is a source of mortality that is unknown and when it is high and we do not know it, it can make our population models biased. • We don’t see a lot of ghost fishing because the marine patrol regularly removes lost or abandoned gear. • Gillnets in the state used to be fished continuously, but now they cannot do that. Fishermen must now set gear in the evening and pick it up in the morning. This makes it easy for marine patrol to identify lost gear. • Ghost fishing is pretty low here. • Quantifying the extent of ghost fishing in NC would be helpful for understanding the issue. • Education is important, and educating fishermen about the impacts of ghost gear will help reduce ghost fishing
Bryan Eure, NC Marine Patrol Officer (https://youtu.be/2rtg9nrPt0Q) • A large role in my job is to enforce rules and regulations for all net fisheries. • Nets impact work on a daily basis, most recently we have to do gillnet observations to monitor interactions between sea turtles and large mesh gillnets • All fisheries are important in NC – mostly crabs, shrimp, and finfish. The large mesh gillnet fishery is allowed from sunset to sunrise daily, nets are marked by 2 yellow buoys with fishermen’s contact information. This allows marine patrol to contact fishermen if a net is left out there beyond the allotted times.
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• Gear can be lost by theft, storms, large mammals/animals interactions, and boating collisions. • We used to have a larger net loss issue, but now nets are rarely lost with new regulations. Fishermen do not need to report lost gear, but will usually do so in hopes of recovering gear. Marine patrol officers recover gear that is lost as a part of our job. • Reducing ghost fishing is important to keep our fish populations healthy and keep waterways safe for boaters. • Solutions start with regulations, but also requires fishermen to be diligent about remaining in contact with gear and cautiousness on part of boating public. • By ensuring compliance with rules and regulations in NC, we are able to help reduce gear loss.
Gene Long, Owner of Motts Channel Seafood (https://youtu.be/cUhQIG8uP_w) • We buy fish from all up and down the coast, but we do have to rely on some imported fish seasonally. We have high standards for imports. • Fishing regulations have changed dramatically. We need regulations, but we need to give regulations time to work as well. • It has always been feast or famine in the seafood business. We don’t wholesale like we used to, but I still have enough to support my business. • Fishing supports a lot of livelihood, and fishing gear is their biggest expense. They are not going to leave a net out there because of that expense. • Ghost fishing is not a big problem here. I have been fishing this area for 50 years and I have only ever seen a net or two. It might be a bigger problem in other countries. • Just take care of your fishing gear and be responsible.
Bonnie Monteleone, Marine Debris Expert (https://youtu.be/Kehl6uGxOrg) • What is alluring about ghost gear is that you can’t see it when you look out over the surface, you actually need to be in it to see it. • NOAA predicts about 10% of marine debris is ghost fishing gear, and since it is made of plastic, this compounds to become a really large number. • Fishing is important, especially here in NC. About a billion people rely on fish for their protein, and ghost gear is out there collecting fish and competing with
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the fishing industry. This adds one more stressor to our fish populations. • Marine debris researches are vital to understand what is happening to our marine life because research drives the solutions. • We can do a lot to stop ghost gear! We can use laws to reduce the time fishing gear can be left in the ocean. We can also start getting innovative and design new nets that will reduce impact. • Lastly, we can also try to eat local seafood and work together with the fishing industry to find solutions. • Let’s work together to get rid of this ghost gear!
Conclusion: In North Carolina, we have great solutions to ghost fishing, including regulations that help reduce gear loss, and joint clean-up efforts by marine patrol officers and fishermen to get lost gear out of our waters. But this is not the case all over the world and ghost fishing is still a global problem. We are all part of the global solution and whether you choose to eat local sustainable seafood, design a new type of fishing gear, or simply spread the word, you can help make a difference. Visit uncw.edu/marinequest/ghostnetbusters.html to learn more.
This film was created as part of UNCW MarineQuest’s Ghost (net) Busters program, which is generously supported through NFWF's Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta.
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Are You Smarter Than a Ghost Net? Card Game
In an effort to increase intergenerational transfer of knowledge about ghost nets, we created a card game that students could play with their families and friends. This game is played Jeopardy style with funny multiple-choice questions to make the game fun! Students who completed the program are able to act as the game host, asking questions that address the following categories about ghost nets: what “it” is, why it’s bad, who is impacted, what can we do. We distributed many card games and had many students play, which helped us spread the word about ghost fishing!
Figure 1: Are You Smarter Than a Ghost Net? Card game set up
To use this game, print the question cards on the next few pages double sided and cut out.
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Why it’s bad W hat “it” is
Why it’s bad W hat “it” is
Why it’s bad W hat “it” is
Why it’s bad W hat “it” is
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W hat can w e do W ho is impacted
W hat can w e do W ho is impacted
W hat can w e do W ho is impacted
W hat can w e do W ho is impacted
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Host Your Own Engineering Competition!
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