Sustainable Fishing

 Sustainable Fishing

How is commercial fishing a threat to dolphins and birdlife?

Bycatch is when the fishing industry catches a fish or any other marine species is caught while they are targeting another type of marine species. Commercial Fishing is a commonly used skill used in fishing.  

Commercial fishing often uses big Gillnets, they are the biggest threat right now to Dolphins, Whales, and birdlife. Old Gillnets used to be made out of woven rope and apparently were not a big threat to them back then because they detected that some woven ropes held air bubbles that bounced off sounds sent out by dolphins and whales to navigate and find food.  

In the 1980s, the idea of using plastic Gillnets came into the talk. The plastic Gillnets were lighter but stronger and lasted longer than the woven ropes. And, they were much less expensive than the ropes. The plastic Gillnets were invisible in the water and it caused more marine life to get caught. A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 2014 notes that an estimated 650,000 marine mammals (including whales and dolphins) die in foreign fisheries every year due to being hooked or entangled in nets and other fishing gear.  

Shark Finning

 Shark Finning 

What is Shark Finning?
Shark Finning, in simple words, is where there are people cutting off a shark's fin and then throwing its body (while it's dead) back into the sea. Leaving it to sink and while some sharks are still alive leaving they sink and die because it has none of their fins. The fins are used in China and Hong Kong, and by Chinese communities elsewhere in the world.

Why is it a delicacy? 
Shark Fins are used to celebrate at celebratory events such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, (etc.). The Chinese make a dish called "Shark Fin Soup" dating back more than 1,000 years. The Fins are supposed to be similar to noodles. They simply don't have any flavour so they have to use Chicken Stock to give it some flavour. A bowl of soup can cost up to US$100 - ($138.65 NZD) 

How is this impacting our oceans? 
Sharks are Apex Predators. Sharks are very important because they maintain the species below them in the food chain. They also serve as an indicator for ocean health. They help withdraw the weak and sick.

Starfish Poem

Starfish Poem

Once upon a time, there was a wise man 

who used to go to the ocean 

to do his writing. 

He had a habit of walking 

on the beach 

before he began his work. 

One day he was walking along 

the shore. 

As he looked down the beach, 

he saw a human 

figure moving like a dancer. 

He smiled to himself to think 

of someone who would 

dance to the day. 

So he began to walk faster 

to catch up. 

As he got closer, he saw 

that it was a young man 

and the young man wasn't dancing, 

but instead, he was reaching 

down to the shore, 

picking up something 

and very gently throwing it 

into the ocean. 

As he got closer he called out, 

"Good morning! What are you doing?" 

The young man paused, 

looked up, and replied, 

"Throwing starfish in the ocean." 

"I guess I should have asked, 

why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" 

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. 

And if I don't throw them in they'll die." 

"But, young man, don't you realize that 

there are miles and miles of beach 

and starfish all along with it. 

You can't possibly make a difference!" 

The young man listened politely. 

Then bent down, picked up another starfish 

and threw it into the sea, 

past the breaking waves and said- 

"It made a difference for that one."

What is the Main Message in the Poem?

• When the man says "Buy, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish along with it. You can't possibly make a difference!" The young boy says as he throws the Starfish into the sea "It made a difference for that one" This is showing that no matter how big or small your input is, it still makes a difference for something/someone. Even though the young boy could not get all thousands of them he made a difference for those Starfishes that he managed to throw back in. 
• Having one person or a small number of people helping can still make a difference in their lives. Starting with a small number of people or one person can lead to a bigger number of people helping out.
• "A small change can make a big difference"

Great Pacific Garbage Patch Newspaper

You’re a part of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

We all know about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but do you really know how much impact humanity has on it? Up to 80% of rubbish in the ocean is because of inland rubbish. The garbage we produce that ends up in the ocean downgrades into very small pieces of rubbish called Microplastics ending up in Marine life transferring to Humans. In 2015, Dutch researchers found that the number of marine species that swallow or get caught in plastic had doubled since 1997: from 267 to 557. 

In recent years, this patch has grown to a monstrous size. It has been recorded that it is about two times the size of Texas and Three times the size of France! Researchers found that most of the mass is the large debris getting ready to decompose into Microplastics. Microplastics are smaller than a bottle cap, they are not immediately noticeable to the naked eye. They are described to be small as pepper flakes. Scientists have said that they don’t know the exact amount of Marine Debris because of The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The gyre is simply too big for the scientists to search thoroughly. “"Yet as I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean, I was confronted, as far as the eye could see, with the sight of plastic.” - Capt. Charles Moore, discoverer of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, in an article for Natural History magazine in 2003

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is unable to be seen from

space because the Microplastics float just

below the surface and the big plastics reflect light. Microplastics are often mistaken for food by Marine Animals. Meaning when those animals have been eaten by Humans it transfers into the Humans. In addition, chemicals are often mixed into the plastic during the production process These chemicals

can in turn leak from the plastic, even when that plastic is inside the body of an animal.

Don’t get too scared because of the Microplastics, Marine Debris Program has recorded that it might not have such a big impact on Humans. Microplastics are often included in everyday items that us Humans breathe, drink or eat such as sea salt, tap water, beer, and even honey. Plastic microfibers can also be transported in the air and found in household dust (e.g., from furniture, carpet, clothing etc.) So it's a very small percentage for it to badly affect Humans.

Original Format: Newspaper

Science Experiments

 Pop Test 
Testing for Hydrogen Gas

Aim To show that hydrogen gas is produced when a metal reacts with acid.

Equipment A test tube, a boiling tube, Bunsen burner, wooden splint, a bottle of acid, a piece of metal, safety glasses.

Method 

1. Light your Bunsen Burner.
2. Add your sample of metal to your test tube. Add 2 mL of acid.
3. Carefully invert the boiling tube above the test tube containing the metal and acid.
4. Hold the test tubes together for a few minutes, allowing time for the inverted boiling tube to fill with gas.
5. When you think the tube is full, your lab partner should light a wooden splint. 
6. Carefully, but quickly, tilt the boiling tube full of gas upwards and insert the burning splint into the mouth of the test tubes.

Observations

Bubbles formed in the Acid + Metal tubes. Gas was forming into the big tube. We put the wooden flint in there and there was a big pop.

Making a Metal Oxide

Aim To make a metal oxide and observe the difference in properties of the product compared to the reactants. 

Equipment A piece of magnesium, Bunsen burner, safety glasses, metal scissor tongs.

Method

1. Light your Bunsen burner.
2. Hold your piece of magnesium in the scissor tongs. Ensure you are holding onto the very tip of the magnesium.
3. Place the other end of the magnesium into the Bunsen flame (at the top of the flame).
4. When the magnesium begins to burn, do not look directly at it, as the light emitted can permanently damage your eyes.

Observations

When the magnesium was exposed to the blue flame, the piece of magnesium was bending and let off a bright white light.

Bias/Agenda

 Bias 

• When you unfairly favour one side of an argument

Source

• Where you get your information from. 

• Ex. Books, Magazine, TV Ads, Website.

Credible

• Factual, Truthful, Reliable
  
  

Authority

• The author has good/in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Reliable

• Can trust the information you are reading is correct.

Perspective

• Point of view, the way you see it.

Agenda

• What you are trying to do. E.g Convince me of a fact.

Manipulate

• MouldingEng something into what you want it to be.         

Critical Literacy

Critical Literacy

1. Is this text fair?
   I believe that this text is not fair due to how they show the two genders. The Males were portrayed as people who only drink and are irresponsible while the Females are only there to look at basically Eye Candy for men. They also have portrayed Maori and PI (Pacific Islander) to drink more than other cultures. In the drink-driving ad, you could not see any other culture drinking, the different cultures in the AD were most likely Female.
   
   
2. How are children, teenagers, or young adults constructed in this text?
   All Young Adults drink and they are more likely to drink-drive more than adults. They also are portrayed as people who often go to parties and drink heaps of alcohol and they are prone to make more mistakes and accidents than other ages.
   
   
3. How does the text present age, gender, or cultural groups?
   - Men are more likely to be alcoholics. 
   - Men are only there to stare at women.
   - Young Adults make more mistakes.
   - Maori and PI (Pacific Islanders) drink more than other cultures.
   - Females are just Eye Candy.
   
   
4. Why is this text written this way?
   It's written this way to show that people that if you're going to have a drink have a responsible sober driver or stay at a place where everyone can crash instead of driving drunk and risking others' life. In the end, they also put the quote "Stop a mate from drunk driving, you're a bloody legend" to tell those who have stopped someone from drunk driving that they're doing the good but to also influence others to stop someone.

Critical Literacy

 Critical Literacy

In English, we have been focusing on the topic of Critical Literacy. We looked into looking at stories from a different point of view and digging deeper to find out if it was an opinion, fake, or fact that you couldn't see at a first glance.

I have made a slideshow to show what we have learned about Critical Literacy so far, 

Essay Brainstorming Task

 Essay Brainstorming Task

Cats are better than dogs because they don't take much work. 

Idea 1: All they need is food & water.

Idea 2: They sleep anywhere, they don't need a special pet bed.
Idea 3: They don't take up so much space, unlike dogs. 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

In Social Studies we have been learning about the importance of oceans to the world. We have started by looking at the Plastic issue in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We have been assigned to do a Slide Show.

Critical Literacy

Critical Literacy

• What makes this video convincing?
  The video includes the new ribbon at the bottom, they have an interviewer, her “Parents”, pictures of a brain, people protesting, the “ONN” logo, News Reporter. These are all used in the real news channels that we watch now so that is why it makes the video so convincing.

• Who Published this video? This video was published by Onion News Network also known as "ONN" They are well known for publishing fake stories onto the media. Their videos include convincing stories with over-used stereotypes. Their videos also include edits that real news channels actually use like doctors coming in to back up or show proof about the situation, the logo, and many other things you'd see on a normal news channel.

• How are teenagers portrayed in this clip? Here they are portrayed as braindead, lazy, and inactive. They are shown that they are impotent to use their communication skills. She is shown to be addicted to the phone and only communicates through eye rolls, sighs and groans.

• Why has the director cast them in this way?
  I believe that the director have cast them this way to make fun of the stereotype of teenagers being "lazy" and anti-social because of their phones.

• In whose interest is this text?
  I think the target audience was more for the parents and show them "what their children will grow up to be like if they have phones" But can also show awareness to the teenagers if they don't have power to put down their phone.

• What social realities does the video portray?
  The stereotypical teenager, Protests, Pictures of the teen when they were younger, Medical data, Doctors report, News reporter.

Alkaline Metals

What is an Alkaline Metal? - Where are they on the Periodic Table

• An Alkaline Metal is any of the elements on the left-hand side of the Periodic Table. It includes Lithium (Li), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Rubidium (Rb), Cesium (Cs), and Francium (Fr). These elements are very reactive. 

What Reaction did we do yesterday?

• Observation: When it was placed into the water the metal was fizzing and did give off fire sparks. Within the next 5 Seconds, it exploded and looked like a small firework. After the explosion, it gave off a strong smoke and smell. 
• Reactants: Sodium + Water
• Products: Sodium Oxide + Hydrogen Gas
• Chemical Equation: Sodium + Water -> Sodium Oxide + Hydrogen Gas
  (NA + H2O -> Na2O + H2)

Why do these metals react this way?

• They only have one electron in their outer shell that reacts very easily.