Study reveals plunge in big fish numbers

UPI ^ | 14 May, 2003

[Happy2BMe]

There is nothing like fresh halibut, salmon, grouper, flounder, and a whole lot more sitting on my plate with all the trimmings.

Hope my grandchildren will be able to enjoy what we did.

[Texas Eagle]

If you re-arrange the letters in "Lidia Wasowicz" you can spell "Jayson Blair".

[DensaMensa]

}... what we did

Having trouble finding something to feel guilty about?

[Bonaparte]

Sounds like the sky is still falling. And now we've gone and killed Charlie Tuna. The bad news just keeps rolling in. Wouldya pass the tartare sauce?

[Travis McGee]

In some of the seafood restaurants here in San Diego the walls are full of turn of the century gentleman fishers who are posing for photos on the docks with their catch hanging up.

Now for a fact, they didn't have modern sport fishing boats to get them far offshore. The fish are tuna etc that are well over 200 pounds, lots and lots of them, caught near shore.

They sure aren't around anymore.

[_Jim]

Already debunked here on FR.

The fatal error resulted from the acceptance of flawed results from this 'data acquisition' step:

a 10-year analysis of trawler surveys and U.S. and Japanese long-line fishing records

They *failed* to ascertain the *true* reason fewer and fewer fish were getting caught (and subsequently hauled up as a 'catch') in something called "longlines" ...

They failed to confirm whether the 'hooks' had become defective/dull and failed to retain the fish during the 'hauling up' process -

- or whether the fish had become smarter/more 'situationally aware' of the hazard that "longlines" presented ...

[ErnBatavia]

Hope my grandchildren will be able to enjoy what we did.

I just last year wrapped up a full quarter century in the seafood import/sale bidniss....trust me on this; your grandkids will do just fine. No species will be disappearing.

There are recent regs in place which would shame even a democrat.

You'll get your tuna sammies...they may have a bit of dolphin mixed in (hee hee), but not to worry.

[ErnBatavia]

They sure aren't around anymore.

That's because the unionized San Diego and San Pedro canneries moved to Thailand! The fishies are just being accomodating...

[ysoitanly]

Scott's been overfishing again. (OK, I'll wait for the lightning bolt).... sorry...

[Joee]

I personally saw a school of Ahi, each weighing over 100 lbs. The school covered an estimated area of a half mile each way and the fish were so thick they looked like one could walk on them. The school just moved with grace, breaking water,rolling and moving on. I'll never forget that scene on the reef at Phonpei, FSM in 1980.

[T. P. Pole]

single-stranded fishing lines hoist endless rows of baited hooks over vast stretches of open ocean that can extend thousands of miles.

Is it the single-stranded fishing lines that extend for thousands of miles, or is it the ocean that extends for thousands of miles?

Trying to imagine a boat stringing a line behind it as it crosses the atlantic, then pulling it aboard from across the entire ocean when it got to the other side. How much would something like this weigh?

[thegreatbeast]

"With their numbers decreasing by as much as 80 percent in 15 years, the depleted communities could crash delicately balanced ecosystems, with unknown worldwide consequences..."
Woe is me; woe is me! We're doomed! Doomed, I tell you!

I'm sure there is over-fishing. I'm sure different species are heading to extinction but the fact is that if we didn't fish at all they'd still be disappearing. There is an ebb and flow to Life and no species is guaranteed survival. These "scientists" ringing the alarms have an interest in seeing governments throw money at problems they specialize in and others won't be happy until we are all eating Kelp Burgers.
Hysterical, apocalyptic predictions have given me a heart of stone.

"Soylent Green is people!"

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[green team 1999]

Fish stocks hit record lows

Friday, 2 May, 2003,
Cod stocks in the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean west of Scotland and the Irish Sea have been in serious decline for decades and are now at their lowest ever recorded level.

North Sea haddock are also under threat, with scientists predicting a rapid decline in their numbers over the next two years.


Cod live mainly in the northern and central areas of the North Sea.
Spawning takes place between January and April and occurs in most offshore areas. Haddock spawning grounds are concentrated in the northern North Sea and off the west coast of Scotland. The spawning season for haddock takes place from March to May.
link

[Kevin Curry]

Trying to imagine a boat stringing a line behind it as it crosses the atlantic

I have read that a typical long-line is about 60 miles long. A single ship might drag 10-15 or more lines behind it. It would only take about 17 lines to add up to about 1000 miles of line.

[Happy2BMe]

I sure hope the world can save the fish stock (no pun intended) for future generations.

Surely, with all our high technology common sense hasn't been obliterated in the process.

Speaking of that, these nations need to come together and develop means of commercial fish farming. True, various specis (e.g., haddock and cod) are only harvested out of certain geographical waters of the world.

Freshwater fish just isn't as tasty as salt water. However, it is much easier to farm and much more controllable.

Thanks for the great post, btw!

[Happy2BMe]

"I just last year wrapped up a full quarter century in the seafood import/sale bidniss....trust me on this; your grandkids will do just fine. No species will be disappearing."

Well, congratulations on that fine work sir!

I'm hoping your experience will prove correct.

[nunya bidness]

Trust me on this. There's nothing wrong with the west coast Florida grouper population. I've got to pick the tags out of my teeth every time I eat one.

I'll let you know about the Gulf Stream population of tuna and sails when I get over there.

[Rebelbase]

"Already debunked here on FR"

I'm sure that statement alone is enough to revive the collapsed Grand Banks fishing industry.

/sarcasm