Deck 9: Oceans and Fisheries

Question 1

One of the major difficulties working against sustainable human use of the oceans is _______.

A) lack of understanding of oceanic ecosystems
B) transportation routes to ship products
C) bottom trawling
D) commercial fisheries

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Researchers from Oxford University recently discovered a new zone in the ocean off the coast of Bermuda called the ________.

A) crustaceous zone
B) algae zone
C) rariphotic zone
D) Bermuda zone

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Generally, nutrient concentrations ________ with depth because of the decomposition of organisms falling from the surface layer.

A) disappear
B) does not change
C) decrease
D) increase

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The oceans cover more than _________ of the Earth's surface.

A) 50 per cent
B) 70 per cent
C) 30 per cent
D) 90 per cent

Question 5

Marine ecosystems provide many goods and services to humans, including ________.

A) transportation routes to ship products
B) being key components in global cycles and energy flows
C) provision of food and medicinal products
D) All of the above

Question 6

The world's oceans account for ________ of global primary productivity.

A) 50 per cent
B) 30 per cent
C) 70 per cent
D) 90 per cent

Question 7

On land, water availability is the most common limiting factor for life; in oceans, it is ________.

A) oxygen
B) sunlight
C) nutrients
D) temperature

Question 8

Oceanic productivity typically ________ with depth.

A) decreases
B) increases
C) disappears
D) does not change

Question 9

The most productive ocean areas are ________.

A) coastal zones
B) zones of upwelling
C) open ocean
D) Both a and b

Question 10

A thermocline is ________.

A) the transition in temperature between the warmer surface waters and the cooler waters underneath
B) the zone of high productivity in the oceans
C) the relationship between heat and other forms of energy
D) the process whereby warm surface waters are cooled at high latitudes and returned to deeper, colder basins

Question 11

The deepest part of the ocean is ________ deep.

A) over 9,000 metres
B) over 1,000 metres
C) over 20,000 metres
D) over 5,000 metres

Question 12

Over three quarters of the ocean is ________ deep.

A) 1,000 to 2,000 metres
B) 9,000 to 10,000 metres
C) 7,000 to 9,000 metres
D) 4,000 to 6,000 metres

Question 13

Currently, oceans are about _______ more acidic compared to pre-industrial times.

A) 70 per cent
B) 50 per cent
C) 10 per cent
D) 30 per cent

Question 14

Oceans absorb ________ of anthropocentric carbon dioxide emissions.

A) three-quarters
B) one-third
C) one-quarter
D) half

Question 15

Oceanic waters will absorb carbon if and when ________.

A) the amount of bicarbonate in the water exceeds the amount of bicarbonate in the atmosphere
B) the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere exceeds the amount of bicarbonate in the water
C) the amount of bicarbonate in the water exceeds the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
D) None of the above

Question 16

Since 1750, about half of the anthropocentric CO₂ emissions released between 1750 and 2011 have occurred in the past ______.

A) 200 years
B) 10 years
C) 40 years
D) 100 years

Question 17

Coral bleaching refers to a process whereby ________.

A) warmer water temperatures lead to increased productivity in coral reefs
B) zooxanthellae eat carbohydrates produced by the coral, resulting in a change of coral colour
C) corals expel the zooxanthellae that serve as their primary food source
D) zooxanthellae attack the coral's protective skeleton, resulting in death of the corals

Question 18

Coral reefs ________.

A) could disappear by 2080 with a temperature increase of only 3 degrees Celsius
B) are made of calcium carbonate skeletons filled with coral polyps
C) have been affected by bleaching over large areas over the last decade
D) All of the above

Question 19

Warm surface water that is cooled at high latitudes and then sinks to deeper basins is part of ________ circulation.

A) thermosphere
B) thermocline
C) thermohaline
D) isocline

Question 20

This sequence is an example of a positive feedback loop: ________.

A) warming atmosphere > more ice melting > less CO₂ absorbed by oceans > more warming
B) more ice melting > falling sea level > ocean expanding
C) more CO₂ absorbed by oceans > more ice melting > rising sea level
D) All of the above

Question 21

By 2100, nearly ________ of the world's population will live within 100 km of coasts.

A) 50 per cent
B) 95 per cent
C) 65 per cent
D) 75 per cent

Question 22

Global research indicates that virtually no region of the ocean is untouched by humanity, and more than _______ is heavily affected.

A) 70 per cent
B) 60 per cent
C) 50 per cent
D) 40 per cent

Question 23

Bycatch refers to ________.

A) fish caught but not targeted by fishing operations
B) loss of biomass due to natural predators
C) the harvest that exceeds allowed quotas
D) the total amount of illegal, unreported, and regulated fisheries

Question 24

The Big Old Fat Fecund Female Fish (BOFFFF) hypothesis suggests that ________.

A) fish are reaching sexual maturity at a younger age
B) removing the larger, older individuals of a population can undermine stock replenishment
C) larger female fish tend to produce smaller fish, although in greater numbers
D) focusing on harvesting larger fish leaves the smaller, younger individuals to grow to reproductive age

Question 25

When scientists have no option but to use data based on the current degraded state of an ecosystem rather than historical ecological abundance, they are facing the problem of ________.

A) a shifting baseline
B) a historical baseline
C) a changing baseline
D) a changing state

Question 26

While ________ is a common practice in nature, in fisheries it leads to serial depletion.

A) shifting baseline
B) krill foraging
C) overharvesting
D) prey switching

Question 27

________ has had the most negative impact on albatross populations.

A) Longline fishing
B) Recreational salmon fishing
C) Bottom trawling
D) Crab trapping

Question 28

Methods designed to reduce bycatch include ________.

A) using fish rather than squid as bait to reduce turtle mortality
B) setting baited hooks deeper than 100 metres to reduce the impact on turtle mortality
C) placing magnets on fishing lines to scare away sharks
D) All of the above

Question 29

________ caused damage to the ancient sponge reefs off the coast of BC.

A) Pollution
B) Bottom trawling
C) Long liners
D) Bycatch

Question 30

Endocrine disrupters have been found ________.

A) to increase human male sperm counts
B) to cause no physical changes to aquatic species
C) in commonly used products such as soap
D) All of the above

Question 31

________ has been linked to the appearance of hermaphroditic fishes.

A) Pollution
B) Global climate change
C) Collection of bycatch
D) Bottom trawling

Question 32

Many of the world's main oil fields, such as the North Sea in Europe and Hibernia off the coast of Newfoundland, are situated in _______.

A) continental deposits
B) Arctic regions
C) coastal communities
D) sedimentary basins under the oceans

Question 33

An increase in global sea temperature could cause ________.

A) the alteration of nutrient circulation patterns
B) the displacement of coastal communities
C) the destruction of coral reefs worldwide
D) All of the above

Question 34

________ provided for the agreement of nations to establish exclusive economic zones.

A) The UN Moratorium on High Seas Driftnets
B) The London Dumping Convention
C) The UN Convention on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks
D) The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

Question 35

Just over ________ of the ocean has been designated as protected.

A) 1 per cent
B) 10 per cent
C) 0.5 per cent
D) 3 per cent

Question 36

Changes to the Fisheries Act in 2012 to protect habitat for fisheries caused concerns that ________.

A) non-native species would have protection as long as they have value in a fishery
B) threatened fish may be left unprotected if they are not part of a fishery
C) there is a lack of protection for habitats where there are no fisheries
D) All of the above

Question 37

TAC is an acronym for ________.

A) total allowable catch
B) tough allocation criteria
C) total annual catch
D) tallied annual caught

Question 38

Declines in Atlantic cod have been blamed on many factors, but current evidence suggests that the collapse was predominantly caused by ________.

A) overfishing by humans
B) changes in sea temperature
C) excessive predation by seals
D) declines in prey

Question 39

When Canadian cod stocks collapsed, fishers began "fishing down the food chain" by ________.

A) targeting harp seals
B) targeting shrimp and crab
C) targeting chinook salmon
D) None of the above

Question 40

The Marshall decision was about ________.

A) an Indigenous fisher who caught and sold eels out of season in Nova Scotia
B) a land claim related to Indigenous sovereignty in maritime waters
C) a non-Indigenous fisher who illegally collected salmon in an Indigenous-only commercial salmon fishing area in British Columbia
D) an Indigenous fisher who clashed with a non-Native lobster fisher in New Brunswick

Question 41

The term "anadromous" refers to ________.

A) a situation when an individual adapts to changing environmental conditions
B) a situation when an animal lives part of its life in freshwater and part in saltwater
C) an animal's ability to live in an oxygen-free environment
D) a situation when an individual changes gender during its life

Question 42

_________ is NOT a main source of marine toxic pollution in Canada.

A) The deposition of airborne pollutants from fossil fuel combustion
B) Commercial fishing
C) Inadequately treated sewage
D) By-products or waste materials from refining processes

Question 43

Canada's Oceans Strategy was one of the main requirements of ________.

A) the Fisheries Act
B) the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act
C) the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Act
D) the Oceans Act

Question 44

Canada's Oceans Strategy incorporates the ideas of ________.

A) integrated management
B) the precautionary approach
C) sustainable development
D) All of the above

Question 45

The proportion of Canada's marine area designated as protected is ________.

A) 0.21 per cent
B) 1.22 per cent
C) 0.66 per cent
D) 3.75 per cent

Question 46

Canada has ________ federal programs for creating marine protected areas.

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 2

Question 47

National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCAs) were established to ________.

A) allow for education and recreation
B) prohibit the use of bottom trawling
C) allow for monitored and reduced rates of dumping waste
D) never allow any commercial or recreation fishing

Question 48

Marine areas border approximately ________ of the oceans or Great Lakes under the National Parks Act and have the potential to exert strong protective powers.

A) 10 per cent
B) 25 per cent
C) 75 per cent
D) 50 per cent

Question 49

Salmon farming along the coast of British Columbia has led to ________.

A) the transmission of disease to wild populations
B) the escapement of Atlantic salmon into the Pacific
C) the shooting of predators that rip open farmers' nets
D) All of the above

Question 50

Recent studies suggest that the amount of contaminants and toxins found in farmed salmon is _______ that of wild salmon.

A) twice as much as
B) higher than
C) lower than
D) the same as

Question 51

Canada has a good record with regard to management of ocean resources.

Question 52

One of the major difficulties working against sustainable human use of the oceans is a lack of understanding of oceanic ecosystems

Question 53

As cold-water fish stocks move progressively northward in response to warming waters at lower latitudes, the Arctic Ocean is expected to become more and more attractive to commercial fishing fleets.

Question 54

Terrestrial ecosystems have a greater diversity of taxonomic groups than marine environments.

Question 55

Much of the ocean's surface lacks nutrients and is the marine equivalent to a desert.

Question 56

Corals live only in tropical waters.

Question 57

Approximately 30 per cent of the world's population lives in the coastal zone (within 100 kilometers of a coast).

Question 58

The most important fishing grounds in the world are all found within 200 nautical miles of coastlines.

Question 59

Policy-makers have concentrated on promoting industrial fisheries under the mistaken belief that they catch the vast majority of fish.

Question 60

Over 80 per cent of global fisheries are now fully utilized or overexploited.

Question 61

Because of advances in technology and subsidies, fishing capacity is now estimated to be as much as 2.5 times the size of a sustainable yield from the world's fisheries.

Question 62

Fishing down the food chain always means catching invertebrates.

Question 63

Whales used to be so abundant off the east coast of Canada that they were a navigational hazard.

Question 64

In bottom trawling, the ratio of shrimp to other organisms caught is 10 per cent.

Question 65

One of the quickest ways to change fishing methods is to end subsidies that support commercial fisheries.

Question 66

The collapse of the cod fisheries in Canada is predominantly related to overfishing.

Question 67

The same regulations apply to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers related to the use of marine resources.

Question 68

The amount of toxic pollutants being discharged from Canada's pulp and paper mills has decreased in recent years.

Question 69

Bottom trawling, dragging, and fin-fish aquaculture are prohibited in Canada's marine protected areas.

Question 70

Aquaculture accounts for nearly half the fish produced worldwide.

Question 71

Explain why the concept of carbon balance in oceanic ecosystems is the subject of much scientific research.

Question 72

Briefly explain the relationship between poverty and declining fisheries.

Question 73

What is the BOFFF hypothesis and what does it mean for fisheries management?

Question 74

What are the main sources of marine pollution?

Question 75

A number of studies related to marine reserves have been conducted around the world. What are the key findings of these studies?

Question 76

What are the key challenges that need to be overcome to implement marine protected areas (MPAs), particularly in the context of conserving reefs?

Question 77

Explain how the terms of the federal unemployment insurance program might have contributed to the overfishing of cod in eastern Canada.

Question 78

List and describe the three guiding principles of Canada's Oceans Strategy.

Question 79

What are some of the concerns related to salmon aquaculture in British Columbia?