Gone Fishing!
What can you learn about local fish species and habitat by fishing?
Grade Level: 6–12
Content Areas: Science, Physical Education, Environmental Education
Method: After making simple fishing rigs and practicing casting, students will conduct a field investigation focused on fish and fish habitat.
Materials: To plan investigation—Copy Me pages: Planning Your Fishing Trip, What’s My Question, Conclusions and Next Steps. Fishing equipment—rods and reels, or cane type fishing poles, or hand line or casting rigs that students make; hooks, bobbers, appropriate lures, flies, or bait; long-nose pliers to help remove hooks from fish; bucket or tub; linen/cotton/nylon gloves; fish field guide; ruler; first-aid kit, adhesive tape; fish stringer and/or ice and cooler to keep fish you are planning to eat or dissect; a balance or spring scale for weighing fish; sport fishing regulations for the area.
Activity Time: two or three 45-minute sessions plus a fishing field trip
People Power: any size group; support from other adults with fishing experience recommended
Setting: indoors/outdoors, field investigation in fishable waters
Conceptual Framework Topic Reference: HNI, HNII, CAII, BDII, ECII, AAI, WMI, WMIII. Concepts will vary depending on students’ research questions.
Terms to Know: controlled variable, manipulated variable, responding variable, angling, spin casting, catch-and-release, fishing ethics, clinch knot, habitat, adaptations, sport fishing,
Appendices: Copy Me Pages (one copy for each student): What’s My Question? and Conclusions and Next Steps; Field Ethics, Observations and Inferences, and Using Local Resources
Objectives
Students will (1) develop and write questions and detailed procedures for investigating fish species and habitat through angling; (2) collect, organize, and analyze data to draw conclusions; (3) explain necessary preparations and safety considerations for a fishing trip; and (4) demonstrate proficiency in assembling and casting a fishing rig.
Study Site:
Identify the specific site at which the group will fish and conduct the investigation. Consult with angler education staff at your state wildlife or natural resource department for suggested sites close to your school or facility, such as locations along rivers, shorelines, or urban fishing ponds. For comparative or correlative investigations, consider the option of fishing and data collection at multiple locations within one body of water as well as from different bodies of water.
Background
Fishing is an ancient practice with archeological evidence dating back 40,000 years. Hunter-gatherers fished for food. Recreational fishing for sport or leisure dates back to the 16th century. People fish not just for food but to experience natural beauty and solitude. Some enjoy the challenge of catching fish or perhaps just being out on the water. Many people benefit from the camaraderie of others with related hobbies such as fly-tying, rod making, entomology, taxidermy and photography. Fishing with a rod, reel, fishing line, and bait, also known as “angling,” is a popular outdoor activity for many people that adds fun to camping, canoeing, boating, and travel. Fishing also provides opportunities to investigate local fish populations and habitats at sites in urban and rural settings.
Fisheries management ensures the wise use of fish resources so that future generations also have fish and healthy fish habitat. Regulations are an essential part of fisheries management and serve to restrict the locations, seasons, and equipment for catching fish as well as the species, quantities, and size of fish caught. Funding that allows state wildlife agencies and natural resource departments to manage fish populations is generated largely through the sale of fishing licenses. Age requirements for licenses, fishing regulations, and other information about fishing are published annually by state wildlife and natural resource agencies.
Introducing the Field Investigation
1) Discuss with students their knowledge and experiences with fishing. Why do people go fishing? Has anyone in the group been fishing before or know anyone that fishes? What do they know about fish and fishing?
2) Explain that one of the benefits of fishing is an opportunity to learn more about local fish species and habitats. Ask students what they would like to learn about fish and where they live. Record questions on a board or flipchart. Students’ “big picture” questions might include:
- What is needed to provide fish habitat or a good fishing spot?
- What makes a healthy aquatic environment for fish and other species?
- How can our community sustain healthy aquatic environments?
These big picture questions are a good starting place to narrow down to a researchable question(s) (see next step).
3) Discuss plans to visit a local site to conduct an investigation through fishing.
Form the Question
Discuss students’ questions. Can they be answered through information gathered by fishing? Are there other data collection methods in addition to catching fish that might also help answer questions? Help students articulate and decide what researchable question(s) will be investigated. Students can record their big picture questions and their more focused researchable question(s) on the What’s My Question page. Choosing a single investigative question for the whole class will allow educators to more easily assist students as they collect data. The increased amount of data relating to a single question should also help improve reliability and accuracy when drawing conclusions.
See “Questions to Investigate” in the sidebar for possible research questions.
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Questions to Investigate [text box]
Questions that help describe could include . . .
- What fish species are at the study site?
- How many fish might we catch in this particular water?
- What species of fish are possible to catch?
- What are the physical characteristics of the fish species caught?
- What is the ratio of fish species we will catch?
- What sizes of fish will we catch?
Questions that help compare could include . . .
- How do physical characteristics—such as shape, color, weight, and length—compare between species?
- Will one area of the fishing site have greater angler success than another?
- Will one type of bait/lure show greater catching success than another?
- Will more fish be caught in the morning or at the end of the day?
Questions that help correlate could include . . .
- Is there a relationship between the type of lure or bait used and the number of fish or species of fish caught?
- Is there a relationship between the hook size or fishing tackle used and the number of fish caught?
- Is there a relationship between the experience level of the angler and the number of fish caught?
- Would we expect to see a relationship between the number of anglers in one particular area (“angling pressure”) and the number of fish caught?
-Does time of day affect fish activity? Would we expect more fish be attracted to bait earlier or later in the day?
[END Text Box]
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Conducting the Field Investigation
1) After revisiting your investigative question, identify the variables in your research. For comparative and correlative questions, help students identify which conditions will be changed (manipulated variable) and which conditions will be measured (responding variable).
2) Discuss and plan with students what type of data should be collected and how data will be collected. What type of information and observations will be needed to answer the research question? How will you go about collecting data? Why is it important for all students to take measurements the same way? Similarly, why is it important to take measurements the same way when collecting data at different times or locations?
3) Explain that when we determine a way to control how we take measurements, collect samples or make observations in order to ensure we are doing it the same way each time, this is known as a controlled variable. As an example, if we are investigating at which location in a pond we are more likely to catch fish, we might use the same type of bait at each location for one of our controlled variables. This way, we know that if greater numbers of fish are caught in one location rather than another, the difference is not explained by the type of bait used.
4) Have students write a plan for conducting the investigation, including: a) a prediction or hypothesis about what they will find or how their question will be answered; b) materials they will need to conduct the investigation; c) the manipulated variable, the responding variable, and at least one controlled variable; and d) each step they will take, with enough detail so others could read the steps to conduct the same experiment.
5) Have students plan to enter data directly into their science notebooks or create a data collection form. See “Criteria for Student Data Forms” in the sidebar.
[Sidebar text box or to be located in introductory text]
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Criteria for Student Data Sheets
A data collection form should include:
A. Name(s) of individuals collecting the data.
B. The research question and a prediction of the answer to the question. Note that for comparative and correlative investigations, good questions describe what variable is changed (the manipulated variable).
C. Study site conditions—including date, time, location, and weather conditions.
D. A description of the study site, in writing, and if the question involves spatial variables, a map as well (see Guidelines for Mapping on page [X-ref]).
E. A data table that includes the following conventions:
1. A clear title describing what is changed (manipulated variable) and what is observed/ measured (responding variable).
2. A clearly labeled column on the left hand side of the table to record observations of the manipulated variable.
3. Responding variable labeled across top row.
4. Spaces to record multiple observations or trials.
5. Observations, counts, and measurements made with proper units.
Adapted from Field Investigations: Using Outdoor Environments to Foster Student Learning of Scientific Processes.2007. Pacific Education Institute & Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies.
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Note: data collection involving identification of species (such as fish) or nonliving components found at the study site may be difficult without prior experience. In such cases, encourage students to make and label illustrations and take photographs that they can later refer to when using field guides back in the classroom.
6) Review the Planning for Your Fishing Trip page with students and make necessary preparations. Assemble your supplies and review safety measures and fishing ethics. Discuss expectations and what to wear. Practice casting as needed.
7) Go fish! After arrival at the study site, students can record and describe the site conditions and description. In pairs or small groups, students record observations about the fish caught or other relevant variables at the site.
8) For improved accuracy, take multiple measurements over time and/or location if possible. Students may also need to repeat individual measurements.
Organizing and Analyzing the Data
1) Either back in the classroom or at the study site when fishing is complete, use a whiteboard, flipchart, or projector, to record and display a summary of the cumulative results.
2) What calculations will help answer the research question? How can the data be best displayed graphically? Are any patterns found in the data?
3) For comparative and correlative investigations, describe how sampling, measurements, and observations were kept consistent for the two or more locations, times, or organisms (your controlled variables) and how they were random and representative of the site.
Drawing Conclusions
1) Using the “Conclusions and Next Steps” Copy Me page, students write a clear statement explaining the answer to the research question.
2) Ask students to describe any problems they may have experienced when collecting data. Were there any factors that might have impacted the research (time of day, weather, etc.)?
3) Were the procedures developed by students logical and sufficiently detailed to provide data needed to answer the research question? If not, how could the procedures be modified?
4) What other data would help answer the research question?
EXTENSIONS
1) Research the method fisheries managers use, known as creel surveys or angler surveys, to gather data on fish populations. Conduct a creel survey at a local, popular fishing site.
2) Invite an experienced angler to visit the class and/or accompany the students on a fishing trip. The angler could provide assistance and tips, relate personal experiences, and demonstrate fishing tackle.
3) Have students make a journal to record their fishing experiences, with a chart to record date, time of fishing, weather, name and location of the body of water, type of gear and bait used, type of fish caught and their size, whether fish were released or kept, how fish were cooked, and how they tasted. They should leave space to record interesting observations and a description of the experience. Discuss how such information would be useful to the fisheries manager.
4) Catch and study live bait (e.g., aquatic invertebrates, worms, grasshoppers, crickets, minnows).
5) Design a travel brochure with tips and tricks for organizing a good fishing trip.
EVALUATION
1) Have students list other questions they generated during the field investigation that they did not explore. Which of these questions are researchable? How would they find the answers to these questions?
2) Ask students to explain why or why not they think angling is an accurate or meaningful way to gather information on the overall health of the water and habitat at their study site.
3) What can students do to help maintain or improve habitat for a diversity of fish species at the study site?
WILD Work
What are some other tools and techniques used by Aquatic Biologists to gauge fish populations and assess fish habitat? Follow the links at www.projectwild.org/aquatic for information on macroinvertebrate surveys or electro-shocking fish surveys.
In Step with STEM
1) Examine commercially or skillfully made lures or flies. Invite someone experienced in these crafts to demonstrate how they are made. Better yet, an expert fish fly maker can help students make their own flies using barbless hooks, wire, feathers or fur (from a craft store), brightly colored threads and other shiny and colorful items.
2) Observe the action of commercial or homemade lures in a tank of water, and investigate what characteristics make some wiggle, spin, or dive.
3) Younger students can design their own models of fish with clothespins, modeling clay, aluminum foil, paint, markers, waterproof glue, colored chenille stems, colored yarn, fabric, fur, feathers, etc.
Planning your Fishing Trip [Copy Me Page]
Getting Ready . . .