A WebQuest for 6-8th Grade (Science) Designed by Loris Chen
Introduction
You are part of a team of specialists whose mission is to determine the best way to preserve two species of seahorses. Your team has been invited to make a presentation at an international conference where other teams will be competing for project funding. Will your presentation earn your project funding?
The Task
The populations of two species of seahorses may be declining. In 1985, fishermen harvesting seahorses in the waters around Jandayan Island, the Philippines, reported catches of 50 seahorses per night. By 1999, the same fishermen were collecting only 10 seahorses per night. In the early 1990's, Handumon fisherman captured 8-10 kilos of dried seahorses every two weeks, or about 4,000 seahorses. By 1999, it took a month to collect half that amount. The seahorse trade is economically important to many parts of the Philippines where small-scale fisheries are the primary source of income. The decreasing population of seahorses is of great concern to those who rely on seahorses for an income.
Your task is to:
- Find out what has caused the decline in the seahorse population in the Philippines
- Investigate methods for reversing the population trend
- Present a proposal that will increase and sustain seahorse populations so that they do not become extinct
Your presentation must include graphics and visual organizers. Presentations may be in the form of PowerPoint or overhead projector transparencies.
Credits & References
- Seahorse photo credit John E.Randall http://www.fishbase.org/photos/thumbnailssummary.php?ID=53789#
- National Geographic http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/06/0614_seahorse_recov.html
- NOVA - Seahorse predators http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/seahorse/hssurvival.html
- Fishbase http://www.fishbase.org/search.php
- Watershed Radio http://www.watershedradio.org/september2001/090701seaho.htm
- Economic importance of seahorse http://www.pcij.org/stories/1999/seahorse.html
- Photo courtesy of Project Seahorse http://www.coml.org/pressreleases/oceanspast09/index.html
- Seahorse Crusader, Amanda Vincent, Project Seahorse http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/
Follow these links to go to the rest of the lesson
