Writing Portion of Benchmark Advanced Unit 1 Final Exam
Have you ever tasted a fish called tilapia? In the wild, these fish live in streams and ponds. They also live in rivers and lakes . Today, tilapia are the fourth most popular fish in the United States. People like them because of their low cost and mild taste. They are also pretty easy to prepare in the kitchen when you cook them to eat them.
Tilapia are easy to farm. They don’t eat other fish. They eat algae and other plants. This makes them cost what most people consider a lot less money to raise. They are low in fat. They are high in protein. China is the world’s leading producer of tilapia.
What problems are likely to occur if fish farming continues to grow worldwide and the United States buys more farm-raised fish?
Use information from both “A New Crop for Farmers” and “Congress Should Demand Regulation of Imported Seafood” to support
your answer.
Be sure to write in complete sentences, use correct spelling, and answer in paragraph format.
*Both texts are in the box to the left for your reference.*
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streams and ponds. They also live in rivers and lakes.
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pretty easy to prepare in the kitchen when you cook them to eat them.
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to farm. They don’t eat
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cost what most people consider a lot less money
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low in fat. They are high in protein.
1 Long ago, people depended on hunting for food. Later they settled in some places and began farming. Farming usually provided a more consistent food supply. Hunting trips didn’t always result in food brought back to the community. Farming gave people more control over their food.
2 Today, the world has begun to follow the same pattern with fishing. For hundreds of years, people caught wild fish for food and other uses. But now the fishing industry can’t meet the demand for fish. For this reason, one of the fastest-growing industries in the world is fish farming, otherwise known as “aquaculture.” Since 1950, fish farming has grown quickly. It now provides more than 40 percent of all fish produced. Growth in the last twenty-five years
has been huge.
3 Fish farmers grow fish in a number of ways. Some use large indoor tanks that allow them to control all the factors in the process. For example, precise feeding is an important component of successful fish farming. The tanks help farmers provide an exact amount of food. Any uneaten food can be collected and reused. The tanks can be cleaned of fish waste after each use. There is also no danger of fish escaping into wild waters. They cannot spread diseases to wild fish or take over their habitats.
4 These types of fish farms make up a small portion of the total. Around the world, most fish farming occurs in lakes and ponds or in the ocean. Giant nets or cages hold thousands of fish at a time. The trapped fish are fed food products made from smaller fish and fish oil. Smaller fish are larger fish’s food source in a natural setting. Some farms are experimenting with fish food made from soybeans, although fish do not eat soy products in the wild. Any uneaten
food and fish waste fall to the lake or ocean floor.
5 Growing fish in open-water fish farms has caused some problems. In a few cases, fish that are not native to an area have escaped. They have crowded out the natural fish. Despite these problems, we will surely see more fish farms in the future.
1 The United States wants to increase our trade with Asia. This requires Congress to change some laws. Some of these laws limit the amount of fish we buy from Asia. Asian fish farms already account for more than 60 percent of the crab eaten in the United States and 60 percent of our catfish. They also provide almost 20 percent of the shrimp we consume. Changing the trade laws could increase these numbers. It would also increase amounts of other types of fish. Is this the direction we should go?
2 There are problems with buying more farmed fish from Asia. One concern is that Asian fish farms do not have to follow the same health standards as American fish farms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration keeps a watchful eye on seafood produced in the United States. We have laws to prevent the use of harmful chemicals in fish farming. On the other hand, several Asian countries allow substances that are prohibited in the United States. These substances make the fish grow faster and larger. They may not be safe for humans to eat,
though. U.S. inspectors are only able to check about 2 percent of all seafood imports for harmful chemicals. That’s because there is so much seafood coming in. This is simply not enough.
3 There is another problem with buying more farmed fish from Asia. This is the water where the fish live. Many fish farms are in areas where water has been polluted. This pollution is usually from factories. The fish can be contaminated with things unhealthy for humans. Not every country has the same problems with their fish farms.
4 We should not rush to increase the amount of farm-raised fish coming from Asia. Before changing our laws, we should make sure that the fish coming from Asian farms is safe. What would this mean? It would require hiring more inspectors. They would check more of the fish before it is allowed into the country. Protecting our health will be worth it. We must not give up our safety just to buy more fish at lower prices.