Fish Population Game

What To Do

The object of the game is to demonstrate while different factors can decrease the fish population, there are also solutions that can help bring the population back up.

How the game will work:

• Discuss the safety rules of the game and the consequences for failure to follow these rules.
• Every student needs a colour. Each student with the same colour is part of a “family”.
• Have the students spread out and pass out the beach balls. Let them practice throwing and catching for a few minutes.
• When we are all working together, we can keep our beach balls in the air; this means we have a healthy population. If a ball is dropped, just pick it back up and keep going.
• Each time a factor negatively affects the fish population, instruct one colour family to sit down.
• Each time there is a positive factor influencing the fish population, have a colour family stand back up.

Examples of Negative Factors:

• People keep forgetting to put their trash in the garbage; all this litter is ending up in our water! Red sit down!
• A new factory is being built up stream and they are dumping illegally! Blue sit down!
• An invasive species is growing out of control! Yellow sit down!
• A company just built a dam! Green sit down!
• Greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to increase, making the water too warm for some species of fish! Red and Green sit down!

Examples of Positive Factors:

• The students at name of their school have organized a community clean up; there is less litter going into the water! Red stand up!
• The students at name of their school have written letters to the factory/government to ask that they stop dumpling illegally; and they have! Blue stand up!
• The students at name of their school have been helping with the invasive species removal project! Yellow stand up!
• The students at name of their school have started a composting program! Green stand up!
• The students at name of their school have worked together to reduce their carbon footprint in ways that work for them. They have shared their ideas with their friends and family to encourage them to think of ways they can help too! Red and Green stand up!

At some point during the game, reintroduce the idea of a threatened, endangered, and extinct species.

• When there are only the two smallest families left, you can say that our population is threatened.
• When there is only the smallest family left, you can say that the population is endangered.
• Have one final negative factor that affects the last family standing. The population is extinct, and the game is over.

Wrap-Up

• Review what happened during the game.
  • Why did you have to leave the game? What were some of the things that negatively affected our fish population?
  • Why were you able to rejoin the game? What were some of the things that positively affected our fish population?
  • What happened when there was no more fish? What would we call that species?

• Discuss possible actions that students can take to protect local waterways and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions.
  • It is important to be conscious of your audience and consider that not all youth have the same options available to choose (i.e. rural students may not have access to public transit, food availability and choices are not always equal). Allow youth to come up with their own ideas instead of directing them on what to do.
• Discuss possible careers related to the topics explored in today’s workshop and what students will need (education, experience, etc.) to get into those careers.