Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 1
BIOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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BIOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Ghana app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Biology
Class: SHS 1
Term: 1st Term
Week: 9
Grade code: 1.1.2.LI.3
Strand code: 1
Sub-strand code: 2
Content standard code: 1.1.2.CS.1
Indicator code: 1.1.2.LI.3
Theme: EXPLORING BIOLOGY IN SOCIETY
Subtheme: BIOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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Welcome, students! Today, we are exploring a very important topic that affects our food, our economy, and our environment: how we can use biology to manage our fish resources wisely. Fish, such as tilapia, cassava fish, and herring, are a major source of protein in Ghana and provide jobs for millions of people along our coasts, rivers, and the Volta Lake. However, if we are not careful, we can catch so many fish that their populations collapse. This lesson will equip you with the biological knowledge to understand how to fish sustainably, ensuring that there will be plenty of fish for future generations.
This topic connects core biological principles to real-world resource management. Let's break down the key ideas. A. What is Sustainable Exploitation?
Sustainable Exploitation means harvesting a natural resource (like fish) at a rate that does not damage the long-term health of the population or its ecosystem. Simply put, it's about taking what we need today without preventing future generations from taking what they will need. Unsustainable: Catching fish faster than they can reproduce. This leads to a crash in the fish population. Sustainable: Catching fish at a rate equal to or less than the rate at which the population replenishes itself through reproduction and growth.
Analogy: Think of your savings in a mobile money account. If you earn GHS 100 interest each month, you can sustainably withdraw GHS 100 every month, and your original capital will remain. If you withdraw GHS 150, you are eating into your capital, and soon you will have no money left. The fish population is the capital; the new fish born and grown are the interest. B. Core Biological Concepts in Fish Management Population Dynamics This is the study of how fish populations change in size over time. It involves four key factors: Recruitment: The number of new young fish that survive and join the adult population each year. Growth: The rate at which individual fish increase in size and weight. Natural Mortality: The death of fish due to natural causes like predation, disease, or old age. Fishing Mortality: The death of fish caused by fishing activities.
The Goal of Management: To control fishing mortality so that it doesn't overwhelm the combined effects of recruitment and growth. Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) This is the largest amount of fish that can be harvested from a stock over an indefinite period without depleting the population. It is a theoretical concept, but it's the central goal of fisheries science. The MSY is typically achieved when the population is kept at about half its carrying capacity, as this is when the population grows fastest.