The last few years have been plentiful ones for Maine’s lobstermen. While New England’s other iconic fishery — cod — went belly-up, crustacean landings exploded to 125 million pounds in 2012 and 2013, five times the historic average and enough meat to give every American a lobster roll (with leftovers to spare). If anything, Maine’s biggest problem has been too many lobsters: The decapods were so abundant last year that prices crashed. Read the rest here 15:00
NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?
While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here
There’s one thing that’s being overlooked, with the reduction of a SIGNIFICANT FRACTION of the Groundfish Fleet. Previously unfishable Bottom has opened up to the Lobster Fleet. Things will change after NOAA/NMFS puts that Fishery under the Microscope though.