ap06_environmental science

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2006 SCORING GUIDELINES

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Question 4

(a) Identify the five-year period during which the greatest rate of decline in the fish harvest

took place. For that five-year period, calculate the rate of decline in the fish harvest, in

metric tons per year. Show clearly how you determined your answer.

(2 points possible)

One point is earned for correctly identifying the time period, and 1 point is earned for showing the

calculation. The student may earn the second point by describing in words how he or she arrived at the

final answer.

Time period of greatest decline: 1965–1970

(700 × 10

metric tons – 200 × 10

metric tons) / 5 years = 100,000 metric tons/year

Acceptable range: 100,000–102,000 metric tons/year (no credit earned for 1970 value < 190 × 10

metric

tons)

(b) Choose any TWO commercial fishing practices from the list below. For each of your

choices, describe the practice and explain the role it plays in the depletion of marine

organisms.

(4 points possible)

One point is earned for each description, and 1 point is earned for a brief explanation of how the practice

contributes to depletion. Each bulleted contribution in the table below is an acceptable answer.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2006 SCORING GUIDELINES

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Question 4 (continued)

Method Description of Practice Contribution to Depletion

Bottom trawling

Drag a net

along ocean bottom

Drag a line with hooks along bottom

• Catches many nontarget

species* (bycatch)

• Benthic habitat destruction

Long-line fishing

Fishing line with many hooks

extending for long distances and

allowed to drift

(“towed” not credited)

• Catches many nontarget

species (bycatch)

• Ghost fishing (continue to

catch even when untended)

Nets

-Drift nets/Gill nets

OR--------------------------

-Purse seines

Large nets

, stretching for miles and

set out and allowed to drift

(“towed”

not credited)

-----------------------------------------------

Large nets are drawn up like a

drawstring purse to capture fish in

large schools near the ocean surface

(“towed” not credited)

• Mesh size may selectively

deplete certain size/age

class

• Catches many nontarget

species (bycatch)

• Ghost fishing (continue to

catch in untended net )

-------------------------------------------

• Catches large quantities of

fish (whole schools)

• Catches many nontarget

species (bycatch)

Sonar

Sound

waves used to locate fish or to

“see” the bottom

• Allows ships to locate large

schools relatively quickly

• Targets specific species

* Nontarget species include noncommercial species;

individuals of illegal size or age; species caught out of season

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2006 SCORING GUIDELINES

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Question 4 (continued)

harvesting of marine food resources and explain how that regulation or law helps to

manage marine species.

(1 point)

Point can be earned for naming a specific, relevant international regulation or federal law and for a brief

explanation of how it helps manage marine species.

A number of specific international regulations and federal laws are acceptable if the law cited relates to the

harvesting of marine resource. The student must provide a correct explanation of how the regulation or law

helps manage marine species. The most common answers are given below.

Note

: Abbreviations alone are acceptable only for the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Convention

on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Endangered Species Act/ESA—prohibits the harm or harvesting of endangered species; protects

habitats

Marine Mammal Protection Act—protection and conservation of marine mammals

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species/CITES—prevents trade of threatened

or endangered marine species

Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management and Conservation Act (Magnuson Act)—establishes

Regional Fisheries Management Councils that set quotas, size limits, and seasons; establishes 200-mile

fishing area; protects essential habitat; rebuilds overfished stocks; minimizes bycatch

UN Law of the Seas—individual countries have jurisdiction over Exclusive Economic Zones (200 miles

off shore) and sovereignty over the sea bed 12 miles offshore; allows for Individual Transferable Quotas

(ITQs) in which allocated quotas can be sold to others

International Whaling Commission/International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

—regulates the species that can be harvested and sets quotas on the number of cetaceans that can be

harvested

Other U.S. and International Laws and Regulations Accepted:

The Oceans Act of 2000—establishes a presidential commission to examine federal ocean policies and

programs; promotes protection of marine environment and prevention of marine pollution

U.S. Whale Conservation and Protection Act—prohibits the harvesting of whales in U.S. waters

Marine Sanctuaries Act—protects the habitat for marine organisms and protects the animals from

being harvested in that area

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2006 SCORING GUIDELINES

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Question 4 (continued)

Fur Seal Act of 1966—prohibits taking of fur seals or use of U.S. ports and harbors for vessels illegally

taking fur seals; allows for subsistence hunting by native people; manage fur seal rookeries in the Pribilof

Islands

Lacey Act of 1900—prohibits sale of illegally harvested species; forces fisherman to harvest legally

(d) The oceans of the world are often referred to as a commons. Give an example of one other

such commons, explain how human activities affect that commons, and suggest one

practical method for managing that commons.

(3 points possible)

One point can be earned for correctly identifying a commons. One point can be earned for briefly

explaining how a human activity affects the specific commons. The student can earn 1 point for citing a

practical method of management linked

to the identified commons.

ACCEPTABLE COMMONS:

1 point

• Atmosphere/Air

• Groundwater/Aquifers

• National Forests/National Parks

• Antarctica

• Estuaries

• Great Lakes

• Rivers and Streams

• A variety of other resources may be accepted as a commons

the student clearly demonstrates

that it is a public resource being used privately

HUMAN ACTIVITIES:

1 point—must be linked to the chosen commons

• A human activity and

brief explanation of how that activity degrades the selected commons can be

accepted (e.g., fossil-fuel combustion increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere).

PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT METHODS:

1 point—must be linked to the chosen commons

• Any specific management suggestion that is practical and

linked to the chosen commons can be

accepted.

Some answers that may apply to many commons:

• Education of the public—must relate to a specific problem (e.g., teaching about forest fire

prevention).

• Regulations, enforcement, agencies—must be directed at a specific problem.

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ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2006 SCORING COMMENTARY

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Question 4

Overview

This question required data interpretation, knowledge of specific content (commercial fishing methods,

impacts, and regulations), and understanding of the “commons” concept. In part (a) students were asked

to demonstrate graph-reading skills and to use the information given on a graph to calculate the rate of

decline in fish stocks over a five-year period. Part (b) asked students to demonstrate specific knowledge of

some commonly employed commercial fishing methods and how commercial fishing relates to the

depletion of marine organisms. Part (c) required knowledge about the regulation and management of

marine resources. Part (d) tested students’ understanding of commonly held resources and their

management.

Sample: 4A

Score: 10

Part (a): Two points were earned: 1 point for correctly identifying 1965–1970 as the five-year period with

the greatest decline in catch, and 1 point for showing both the correct setup of the calculation and the

correct answer of 100,000 metric tons per year.

Part (b): Four points were earned. One point was earned for correctly describing bottom trawling, and 1

point for stating that the practice contributes to depletion by catching unintended species. One point was

earned for the correct description of long-line fishing, and 1 point for stating that nontarget species are

caught.

Part (c): One point was earned for identifying a specific law and for explaining that it contributes to the

management of marine species by protecting the habitats of endangered species.

Part (d): Three points were earned. The student correctly states that federally owned (public) rangeland

used for private grazing is an example of a commons. A second point was earned for the explanation of

how a human activity (overgrazing) affects that commons (grass does not grow back, desertification); the

third point was earned for giving a practical management solution that is specific and appropriate (the

government regulates time and location of grazing).

Sample: 4B

Score: 6

Part (a): Two points were earned: 1 point for correctly identifying 1965–1970 as the five-year period with

the greatest decline in catch, and 1 point for showing both the correct setup of the calculation and the

correct answer of 100,000 metric tons per year.

Part (b): Three points were earned. One point was earned for correctly describing bottom trawling, and 1

point for stating that the practice contributes to depletion by catching unintended species. No point was

earned for describing drift nets, but 1 point was earned for stating that drift nets catch nontarget species.

Part (c): No points were earned in this part because no international regulation or United States federal law

is identified.

Part (d): One point was earned for identifying the atmosphere as a commons.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

2006 SCORING COMMENTARY

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Question 4 (continued)

Sample: 4C

Score: 3

Part (a): Two points were earned: 1 point for correctly identifying 1965–1970 as the five-year period with

the greatest decline in catch, and 1 point for showing both the correct setup of the calculation and the

correct answer of 100,000 metric tons per year.

Part (b): One point was earned. The description of bottom trawling is too vague to earn a point, but the

student did earn 1 point for stating that the practice contributes to depletion by catching unintended

species. No points were earned for mentioning sonar; the response does not describe how it is used in

commercial fishing or how it contributes to depletion.

Part (c): No points were earned because no international regulation or United States federal law is

identified.

Part (d): No points were earned. The student describes rainforest deforestation but does not clearly

demonstrate understanding of the rainforest as a public resource being exploited for private gain (i.e., the

rainforest as a commons).