Fishing for the Future

Game! Each student is a fisher. Your livelihood depends on catching fish. Goldfish = fish Each fisher must catch at least 2 fish in each round to survive When I say GO: Hold hands behind back, use rod (straw) to suck fish from the ocean (bowl) into your boat (papertowel) The fish remaining after the fishing season reproduce

Each Season = 20 seconds Count your fish and record them in your fishing log. Fishers who did not catch the 2 fish minimum had to find a new job. Add one new fish (babies!) for each fish that remains in the ocean This season – better fishing poles – you may hold your straw with your hand! This season, one fisher person bought a big net!

Tragedy of the Commons*

Tragedy of the Commons When individuals, acting independently and rationally, will deplete a shared resource, even when doing so is not in their interest. Each user receives a direct benefit of using the resource, but only bears a fraction of the cost of its exploitation.

Tragedy of the Commons Occurs when resources shared by everyone (or held in common) are used at a rate that exceeds the resources’ sustainable limit. Ultimately, as a population grows and consumption increases, the “commons” collapse.

John C. Sawhill “In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy.”