The SMILE Program @ OSU

This post contains the Ocean Fisheries activities that were presented at our Summer Teacher’s Workshop in August. Learning about fisheries can help students understand how all organisms have an essential role in an ocean ecosystem. The following activities highlight the affects that fishing can have on the ocean ecosystem and the important role that fishers, biologists, managers, and other stakeholders play in helping to protect the ocean.

Halibut: Flat or Fiction? Pacific Halibut and the Ocean Ecosystem
This unit of curriculum focuses on the Pacific halibut fishery. There are four lessons and each one builds off of the last. Students are able to take on various roles and perspectives of ocean organisms, fishers, biologists, and managers. Students make tough decisions about the ocean ecosystem and recognize the difficulties that managers face in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
Rockfish Barotrauma Presentation by Lynn Mattes of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

You’re Excluded!
This is activity was developed by Oregon Sea Grant and explores the changes in the trawl industry technology. Students identify ways that changes in technology can positively and negatively affect fish populations and use problem solving skills to engineer their own fish excluder device.
Introduction to Fishing Fleet Presentation by Kaety Hildenbrand of Oregon Sea Grant