Protecting the Ocean · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Protecting the Ocean

Science · Ocean Life · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Marine protected areas ban or limit fishing so fish populations can recover.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. What is a marine protected area?

    • A part of the ocean where fishing and other harmful activities are limited to help sea life recover
    • A part of the ocean where all boats, swimming, and every activity are completely forbidden
    • A part of the ocean where scientists raise fish in tanks

  3. A class visits a river that flows out to the sea. They see plastic bags and bottles lying on the bank. Which action would best protect the ocean?

    • Taking photos of the plastic to show their friends
    • Collecting the plastic so it never floats down the river to the sea
    • Adding their own snack wrappers to the pile

  4. Why do fish numbers grow inside a marine protected area?

    • Fishing is limited there, so fewer fish get caught before they can reproduce
    • The water inside is always warmer than outside
    • Scientists feed the fish there every day

  5. A fishing crew catches only the number of fish that can regrow each year. What is this called?

    • Overfishing
    • Commercial fishing
    • Sustainable fishing

  6. This graph shows fish counted outside and inside a marine reserve. How many more fish are inside the reserve than outside?

    Outsidereserve20Insidereserve50

    Answer: ______________

  7. Which pair of actions helps fight both overfishing and ocean acidification?

    • Fishing as much as possible and skipping international agreements
    • Removing all fishing rules and building more coal power plants
    • Setting fishing catch limits and cutting carbon emissions

  8. A fishing boat catches so many young fish that very few are left to grow up and have babies next year. Is this sustainable fishing?

    • Yes, because the boat caught a large amount of fish
    • No, because they aren't leaving enough fish behind to replace what was caught
    • Yes, because fish populations always bounce back no matter what
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Protecting the Ocean W1-mt_50SdpkNH49-s1

  1. True · Limiting fishing gives fish the time and space to grow up and have babies.
  2. A part of the ocean where fishing and other harmful activities are limited to help sea life recover · Inside a marine protected area, rules limit fishing and other harmful activities so fish and other sea life have room to recover.
  3. Collecting the plastic so it never floats down the river to the sea · Trash left by a river can wash down to the sea. Collecting it keeps it from ever reaching the water.
  4. Fishing is limited there, so fewer fish get caught before they can reproduce · Fewer fish get caught, so more of them live long enough to reproduce.
  5. Sustainable fishing · Sustainable fishing means catching only as many fish as the population can regrow.
  6. 30 · Fifty fish inside minus twenty outside is thirty more fish inside the reserve.
  7. Setting fishing catch limits and cutting carbon emissions · Catch limits protect fish from overfishing, and cutting emissions slows the CO2 buildup that causes ocean acidification.
  8. No, because they aren't leaving enough fish behind to replace what was caught · When too many young fish are caught, not enough are left to replace them next year, so that isn't sustainable.
Worksheet · LightMySky