Instructor’s Guide to Case Studies in Fisheries Conservation and Management: Applied Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Case 23: Why Does it Look Like That? How Morphology is Related to Ecology and Management

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874196.ch23

It is only two days into your winter break, and your younger brother is already getting on your nerves. His mission is to make your parents think you haven’t been working hard in college. It’s part of an elaborate plan that he sees ending with him getting a new game system and with you getting a lecture from your parents.

For today’s attack, he walks in holding a nature magazine. Feigning interest, he opens to an article on marine fishes. As soon as your parents walk in the room, your annoying brother says to you, “I know you’ve been studying fish at college. Why does it look like that?” Your dad naively takes the bait and chimes in, “Yeah, I’ve always wondered that too. Why is this fish red and that one silver? How about this weird-looking one with the huge teeth—why would it have those? Where would these fish live, and what would they eat?” Your brother just grins, triumphantly.

You glance down at the three pictures they are looking at.