Seafood Math

This blog is focused on explaining how we (grownups) can use the math learned in elementary school. Since our company's Excel Math curriculum is used by thousands of schools to help kids learn math, we think about this all the time. Today, following a seafood-filled family reunion, I thought I'd look at the math related to this important dietary choice.

Do you like this fish painting? It was done by a very artistic person at my wife's elementary school.

Seafood means foods that come from the both salt and fresh water. The term includes plants (seaweed) and animals (fish, shellfish) which can be either caught in the wild or farmed.

You might wonder if you really need math skills to eat seafood ... let's see:

• Wikipedia tells me there are 32,000 species of fish. (number with separator)
• We only eat a few varieties of the total number of fish species. (small but indefinite quantity)
• Seafood is the primary source of protein for a billion people. (large number word)
• Seafood is about 15% of the total world supply of animal protein. (percentage)
• The Fish Society in England has a huge shellfish and caviar assortment for £1500/$2400. (foreign currency conversion)
• At least a dozen types of seafood can be eaten raw. (collective number)
• Sashimi is raw seafood cut into pieces about 2.5 cm (1") wide by 4 cm (1.5") long by 0.5 cm (0.2") thick. (cubic dimensions, in metric and standard units)
• Folklore says not to eat oysters unless there is an R in the month. (calendar)
• Sardines have been eaten by people for thousands of years. (calendar number words)
• Many seafood recipes say, "Start with a whole fish". (complete; not fractional or decimal)

Because seafood is highly-perishable, it is often shipped live, refrigerated or frozen. Alternatively, fish can be salted, smoked, dried, or canned. We had plenty of fresh seafood during our family get-together:

If you want to learn more about sourcing seafood, you can look here for videos from Taylor Shellfish, one of the largest providers in the United States.