In this activity, you will be asked to read a case study, conduct your own research, and then select a probable solution for the case study based on what you have learned in this course so far. The purpose of this exercise is to use the information you’ve learned in this course to evaluate a scenario and determine a best case solution based on the selections given. To complete this activity, you will need to (1) post one response about your selected solution and (2) ask someone else a question about why they choose a solution different from the one you selected.
For more information about how to properly engage in online discussions, refer to the lesson on discussions in the orientation course. You will have completed this activity once you have made your initial post and posted a thoughtful question to someone else’s. However, feel free to continue to engage in discussions with others! At the end of the course, you will be asked to take a short quiz to evaluate your participation in these discussions, and you will receive a participation grade for taking the quiz!
Students are expected to stay on topic and refrain from using vulgar or offensive language. Examples include, but are not limited to, inappropriate acronyms, profanity, derogatory terms, slang, and symbols. Please review the TEL Education Code of Conduct for more information.
Case Study and Resources
You have recently been hired by the state of Alaska as an environmental financial officer. Your main duties are making sure that commerce, natural resources, and pollution are balanced and fair for all state residents and businesses. Recently, a report was presented to you about overfishing of Salmon in coastal waters. The salmon swim upriver to spawn each year, and in the past five years, due to both international and domestic overfishing, birth rates of salmon have decreased by over 15%. It is an alarming trend that if not addressed could lead to even more depletion of the salmon population which would not only pose a problem for the environment but also will harm the domestic and international trade of salmon and hurt the state’s economy. What policy proposal will you take to the governor?
Resources:
Probable Solutions for the Case Study
Using the information in the case study above, the additional resources, and what you have learned from Modules 1-6, which option would you submit from the choices below?
Option 1: Weigh Stations
This situation is a clear case of the tragedy of the commons. Since fishing is taking place off the coast of Alaska and is a common good, many different fishing boats from the U.S. and other countries frequent our waters to harvest salmon. Since we are seeing an overfishing issue, the best option is to tax each boat by the weight of fish they catch. In order to do this, we will need to install weigh stations that all boats frequently need to visit after fishing to have their catches weighed and the taxes assessed. This will require more policing in the coastal waters to ensure that all boats check in at the weigh stations and will also require that weigh stations are constructed and manned. This will increase job opportunities and provide more income to the state in the form of taxes
Option 2: Special Licensing
While this is a tragedy of commons, since it is taking place off the coast of Alaska, monitoring who is coming into our waters and how much they are taking out of our waters is nearly impossible to monitor. The best option would be to require all boats coming into our waters to acquire a special license that will allow them to fish in our waters. To enforce this, we will need to distribute information about the new licensing procedures and will require more policing in our waters as boats are randomly stopped and their licenses checked. As part of the license, boats must agree to take out a certain amount of fish and must provide proof of how much they caught at each random check. This will be easy to enforce, and boats who do not have a license or cannot show proof of their catch amount will be fined and the fines will go directly to the state.
Option 3: Limitation
The best and most socially optimal solution is to limit the fishing season to only after the spawning season. This will allow the salmon the ability to swim upriver and lay their eggs. Fishing for salmon will only take place after this period. To monitor and enforce this new regulation, random monitoring and inspecting of fishing boats in our waters will take place before and after the designated season. Any boats caught fishing for salmon outside of the new season will be fined heavily and the salmon confiscated. This will be easy to enforce since it will only require an increase in patrols and will provide income to the state in the form of fines.
What you need to do:
- Read through the case study and the accompanying resources.
- Reflect on what you’ve learned in the course and how the information applies to the scenario.
- Select which solution you think is best for the given scenario.
- Compose a discussion post by clicking on the “Comment” button. Your first post should include the following information:
a. Which option you selected (You can say A, B, C, or D.)
b. A brief statement as to why you selected that option
c. An outside source that supports your conclusion; this can be a reference to a book, website, journal article, etc. - Your post can be no more than 800 characters and no fewer than 600 characters. Your post should be in your original words, not in quotes or citations. In-person discussions are short, so your challenge is to be concise and articulate to demonstrate your understanding of the course. You can use additional discussion posts to further support your position if needed. If you go below or over the character limit, you will not be able to post your reply. If you prefer to write your post first in a word processor, check your character counts first.