Survey of Oceanography
Homework Set 4
Due 8 March 2004
Late homework will cost 15 points per week or part of a week it is late.
The goal of this homework is to do something interesting while learning about fisheries.
Go to a local supermarket of your choice. Use information collected at the market to answer the following questions.
Each question is worth 25 points.
- Estimate the economic importance of fisheries to our local economy.
Here is one way: Supermarkets value shelf space. each linear foot of
shelves must generate a certain volume of sales in dollars. If it doesn't,
it is changed until it does. So we can use linear feet of shelf space
to estimate the relative economic value of goods sold from the shelves.
- Estimate the total linear footage of shelves selling food. Do not include shelves selling drugs, cleaning supplies, or other non-food products. You can pace off the length of aisles, or count floor tiles or use any other method you like. No need to be too accurate, we are only trying to get a useful estimate.
- Estimate the total linear footage of space selling fresh meat.
- Estimate the total linear footage of space selling fresh fish.
- Calculate the ratios: (fish sales/meat sales), and (fish sales)/(total food sales). What is your estimate of the economic importance of fish sold at this supermarket?
- What fish or fish products are sold in the store. List the products
and whether fresh or processed (canned).
- List any products you are aware of that are derived from the ocean
and that are included in other food products.
- Select two fish from your list of fresh fish. Use the web, an encyclopedia,
or other source to determine:
- Where is the fish typically caught?
- When is the fish caught?
- How many fish are caught in a particular year?
- Is the fish endangered, threatened, or still common? See the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, their list of fish to eat or not eat, and the Audubon Society's Seafood Guide.
Revised on: 5 September, 2004
