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IB ESS HL 4.3 Aquatic Food Production Systems Questions

Practise IB ESS HL 4.3 by analysing aquatic production data, maximum sustainable yield and climate- or policy-driven management outcomes.

Syllabus
First assessment 2026
Course
ESS HL
Level
HL

Exam points

  • Analyse aquaculture benefits and risks using food supply, habitat, pollution and disease evidence.
  • Evaluate maximum sustainable yield, quotas and recovery against fishery data.
  • Evaluate how climate change, protected areas, mesh size and seasons alter aquatic food systems.

Covered syllabus points

4.3.1—Aquatic primary producers4.3.2—Human aquatic food consumption4.3.3—Increasing demand4.3.4—Unsustainable harvesting practices4.3.5—Fishery collapse4.3.6—Maximum sustainable yield (MSY)4.3.7—Climate change impacts4.3.8—Mitigation strategies4.3.9—Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)4.3.10—Aquaculture4.3.11 (HL)—Water system interconnections4.3.12 (HL)—Fish stock assessment4.3.13 (HL)—MSY risks4.3.14 (HL)—Overexploited species recovery4.3.15 (HL)—UNCLOS4.3.16 (HL)—Marine mammal harvesting ethics

Question 1

[Maximum number: 8]
Integrated aquaculture system

Figure:Integrated aquaculture system

the integrated-aquaculture diagram shown above represents a system of aquaculture with four groups of harvestable species.

Question (a)

(a)

Identify one producer in the system illustrated in the integrated-aquaculture diagram shown above.

[ 1 ]

Question (b)

(b)

Outline one reason why aquaculture production has increased globally.

[ 1 ]

Question (c)

(c)

Describe two negative environmental impacts that may arise from integrated aquaculture.

[ 2 ]

Question (d)

(d)

Explain why this system may cause fewer environmental impacts than systems that farm only fish.

[ 4 ]

Question 2

[Maximum number: 1]

Figure 2: Fact file on the Coral Triangle

• The Coral Triangle is an area of approximately 6 million square kilometres in South-east Asia.
• It is the most biodiverse marine ecosystem in the world.
• Its habitats include coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves.
• The Coral Triangle provides a range of ecosystem goods and services, and supports the livelihoods of over 120 million people.
• It provides an important spawning area to the largest tuna fishery in the world.
• In 2014, capture fisheries within the Coral Triangle were valued at US$9.9 billion representing over 10 % of the world market.
• Income in the area is also generated through a growing recreation and tourist industry.

Outline one advantage for local populations within the Coral Triangle in harvesting their food from:

the marine system

Question 3

[Maximum number: 9]
Figure Global seafood harvests for 2019 and projected harvest for 2050

Figure Global seafood harvests for 2019 and projected harvest for 2050

Question (a)

(a)

Identify the category with the lowest global harvest weight from aquaculture in Figure 1.

[ 1 ]

Question (b)

(b)

Using Figure 1, calculate the projected increase in the harvest of freshwater fish between 2019 and 2050.

[ 1 ]

Question (c)

(c)

Outline one reason for the increase referred to in (b)(i).

[ 1 ]

Question (d)

(d)

Describe two possible reasons for the difference in the global aquaculture harvest between marine fish and molluscs in Figure 1.

[ 2 ]

Question (e)

(e)

Evaluate the use of aquaculture in meeting the projected harvest of global seafood, as shown in Figure 1.

[ 4 ]
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