FishBanks teaches conservation
|
by Catherine Raposa
Tech News Staff |
|---|
A team of students calculate their business strategy during the System Dynamics Club's friendly game of FishBanks on Wednesday
Photo by Catherine Raposa
|
Competition and over-fishing plagued the game from the start and made the Fish banks run dry. The System Dynamics Club offered the game last Wednesday in Riley Commons. The friendly but fierce competition required two hours of negotiations and business management so teams could efficiently run a fishing boat company. The game was offered to both entertain and inform students about System Dynamics and systems throughout nature.
The object of the game was to maintain the highest cash and boat value. Boats could be bought or sold, traded or rented, and were sold back to the shipyard at the end of the game. Revenues came from the sale of fish, which varied according to where boats were placed at the end of each turn. Teams were allowed one diplomat who could communicate with other teams to negotiate sales or cartels. Computer models were used to provide randomness and allow teams to keep their strategy secret. Outputs helped update teams to keep them abreast of revenues.
The game was open to the student body and was played with teams of three or four. Twenty-five dollar gift certificates were given to the winning team and refreshments were served.
According to Fish Banks Ltd, the game was initially developed for use with training program addressed to senior government officials in Africa. Over the past 12 years, more than 5,000 kits have been produced in numerous languages.
The game is proves the truth behind the tragedy of the commons. When commons, or central grasslands, were available to villagers in England for open grazing of cattle, the land was destroyed from overgrazing. Since no one owned the commons, no specific group was in control of protecting the interest of the commons, in other words, protecting the vegetation.
Associate Professor Radzicki, System Dynamics professor in the Social Science and Policy Studies department, demonstrated the real world effects of the Fishbanks. Fish stocks throughout the United States have been depleted through over fishing and technology. Capitalist competition and profit seeking requires large fish stocks be brought in each trip of shipping vessels. New technology makes it easier to find fish and locate breeding grounds. This combination has lead to a steady decline in the number and distribution of fish stocks throughout the United States. Policies used in the past and current government interactions were discussed.
Lastly, Professor Radzicki ended the evening with a discussion of possible solutions to help both fisherman and the fish.
| 
