Fisheries Question Why do we worry about overfishing
Fisheries Question: Why do we worry about “over-fishing” the ocean and running out of fish, but not “over-raising” cows and pigs on land running out of them?
• How are the worlds fish populations doing?
• How is this effecting total harvest?
• How about total global fishing?
• How can this be, given the picture below?
• Fishing down the food chain… – First they came for the tuna – Then the salmon – Then the sharks – Then the cod – Then the mackerel – Then the herring – Then the anchovies –?
• Fishing new fish, in new places Fished or mined?
• What species are most vulnerable? • High vrs. Low food chain • Fast breading vrs. Slow
• Where does this get us?
• Why does this happen? The “Tragedy of the commons”
• Is this rational?
• So why does it happen? • Tragedy of Commons • Political reality
• This is very hard -- jobs must be lost! – “Fisheries management is an endless argument about how many fish there are in the sea until all doubt has been removed -- along with all the fish. ” Dr. John Gulland • Shifting baseline! Is the problem fixed yet?
• • What are laws in America? 10 years to maximum sustainable yield Ecosystem management It can work! But it is hard, and requires science.
• It is not impossible • But we do not see the ocean as it could be • Nor do we get from it what we could
- Slides: 16