Thursday, May 5, 2016

More fish stocks in trouble, but some doing better


Given the number of people in the world and the USA, and the number of fish in seas and lakes, it isn't a surprise that there's a lot of overfishing going on.

So this report, indicating that there are more fish stocks on the watch list than before, isn't a surprise. However, there's good news too, as what the Feds are doing is actually having an effect.

Number of distressed fish stocks rose in 2015

"The tally of overfished stocks grew from 37 in 2014 to 38 in 2015, while the number subject to overfishing grew from 26 to 28, according to an annual assessment released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division."
 ...

What does that mean, exactly?  Well, this good article explains:
"A stock that is subject to overfishing is being harvested at a higher rate than its rate of reproduction. An overfished stock has a population size that is considered too low. A rebuilt stock is one that was overfished but has rebounded enough to sustain its population while being harvested."
One of the stocks doing better is greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico.  Any time tuna is doing better, I'm happy to hear it.




No comments: