Name: Date Submitted:

Year and Section: Instructor:

Week 3: Activity in Dev Read

Instructions: To hone the skimming and scanning skills that you possess; read the
selection below and answer the questions after it.

MODERN FISHING
About a hundred years ago, Thomas Henry Huxley, the English biologist, could say with
confidence. "I believe that probably all the great sea fisheries are inexhaustible; that is to say that
nothing we do seriously affects the number of fish." Huxley, of course, did not foresee the
technological advances that would be made and applied within a center to fishing, as well as to
every other aspect of man's activities.
Sadly, Huxley's prediction has proved wrong. Today's fishing fleets consist of entire flotillas
equipped with electronic devices and include floating ships that process the catch at sea. Planes
are often used as spotters to locate schools of fish. Radio telephones direct boats to the fish.
Radar and echo sounders find schools that cannot be seen from the air or on the water's surface.
Moreover, oceanic sciences have determined the conditions of salinity and temperatures required
for various species to thrive. Today, thermometers and salinometers are used by fishing fleets.
These ultramodern fishing fleets can stay in the open water almost indefinitely, sweeping the sea
of much of its life. The herring population in the Atlantic, the most heavily fished area of the
world, is decreasing. Haddock may have been wiped out. Similarly, modern whaling methods
have all but eliminated several types of whales from the face of the earth. Helicopters and swift,
engine-driven catcher boats with sound equipment spot the whales. Explosive harpoons fired
from guns mounted on the catchers find their marks. Humans have become by far the greatest
predators of all time.

Answer the following questions by skimming the selection:

1. What was Huxley’s belief regarding fishing?

2. What are the technological advances in fishing?
3. What fishes have either declined in number or wiped out?

Skimming is different from scanning. Just for practice, can you scan the selection and
answer the following questions:
1. Why was Huxley mistaken in his belief?
2. What is the difference between early fishing and technological fishing?
3. Why are human considered the greatest predators of all time?