April 19, 2011 – What does it mean when we hear that a species, Gulf of Maine cod, for example, is being "overfished"? "Overfishing is a terrible term," Johanna Thomas of EDF said, and it doesn't effectively convey the facts of the state of any given fishery.
Fisheries reporter Don Cuddy pointed out in an editorial board meeting with representatives of the Environmental Defense Fund and the UMass Dartmouth School of Marine Science and Technology that the term is seen by many to mean that "greedy fishermen are out to get every last fish."
Those at the meeting were in agreement that the term is too often used — and perceived — inappropriately.
In the case of Gulf of Maine cod, the number of variables in the fishery that could be affecting the population make the term "overfishing" terribly inadequate. The perception in that case, where surveys separated by three years suggest an utter collapse.
Dave Martins, the SMAST fisheries biologist at the meeting, pointed out that there aren't clear answers about why the cod numbers are so much lower in 2011 than in 2008. Suggestions of warmer waters that keep predators of cod eggs around the spawning grounds longer, that the cod have simply moved to cooler, deeper water away from fishermen or that government trawlers measuring the population lack the skills of commercial fishermen only scratch the surface of a multitude of potential explanations.
Martins also pointed out in his explanation that it's hard to understand why many fisheries that are on the mend are rebounding so slowly. When he was an observer in 1994, he imagined that the vast closed areas, larger mesh sizes, catch limits, fleet reductions and more would have resulted in the changes desired by Magnuson-Stevens. But it hasn't happened as rapidly as presumed for some stocks, and, oddly enough, much more rapidly than expected for some others.
Redfish, for example, is a species that reproduces relatively slowly, but the biomass is so much improved over the years that SMAST is looking for ways to turn the fleet's focus in its direction, a plan, by the way, welcomed by Thomas and EDF, who hope to see fishermen and fish both thriving.
In issues of public policy and public relations, perception is indeed reality. Environmental groups that would prefer to see fishing vastly curtailed may be happy enough to allow the misperceptions continue, but those who are willing to hear all sides of the story in the context of true sustainability deserve louder voices.
Read the full article at the New Bedford Standard Times.