Volterra’s Fishing Paradox

Less fishing, more sharks

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Fishing both species raises the prey equilibrium and lowers the predators’.
• This explains the rise of predatory fish when wartime fishing stopped.
• Broad pesticides can, paradoxically, increase pests.

Steps

1. A puzzle from the Adriatic
2. The new balance
3. What the fishermen saw
4. Fished out
5. Fishing both species
6. Pesticides