“CFOOD” – New fact-check on fisheries reporting takes to Web, social media
An international team of experts in fisheries management, spearheaded by UW professor Ray Hilborn, is trying to lead the conversation about sustainable fisheries using a less traditional approach — reaching the general public directly through a new website and social media outreach. Many scientific reports and resulting media coverage about fish stocks collapsing or being overfished are incorrect or widely misinterpreted, they say. They launched the effort two weeks ago to provide a forum for experts to discuss or explain certain claims. Read the rest here 19:33
Bravo! And thank you Ray Hilborn.
Independent fishermen absolutely need a professional and fact-oriented endeavor to counter the constant stream of misinformation about the fisheries. This new website seems dedicated to such a task.
Misinformation based on shoddy, incomplete, and biased agenda-driven “science” needs to be called out and stopped. Usually this eco-propaganda emanates from “false flag” wielding Tax-Free conservation Funds and Foundations and from their bought… and paid for Ocean Biology Departments in certain Institutions of Higher Learning. Incredibly some of the most astonishing notions, such as endangered Sturgeon, or destroying Canyon Wall corals, or fishing down the food chain until only jellyfish left by 2048, are then found “on the table” of issues to be considered and remedied through more regulation by the Eco-Fund lawsuit-cowed regional councils.
This reprehensible process results in the most bizarre fishery management decrees. Ideas which have absolutely nothing to do with any ocean reality are, in fact, counter to any actual “conservation” goals. Eco-Fund donation raking inspired sensationalistic anti-fishing hyperbole based on ersatz scientific information is not good for the fish or the environment.
Such ill-conceived regulation creates incredible imbalances among certain species by not including the traditional small boat fishing operation as an integral component of the ecosystem. A wrong and scientifically baseless and politically oriented approach which pretends to micro-manage the fish, actually prevents the functioning of one of the major inherent balancing constraints within the ecosystem—fishing. This sadly starts a cascade of additional interventions resulting in more frantic interventions and more out of control population imbalances.
Case in point: see the post from the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council regarding a 50% cut in the allowable catch of Dogfish! This is a species that during certain times of the year will literally blanket the ocean bottom from 15fm out to 100fm—and most likely beyond. They are so thick at times that all fishing will cease for most of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts. The regulators saw fit to restrain further fishing for this species due to a “reduction in the biomass”???
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[…] in Science magazine, industry groups have doggedly scolded media outlets for citing it. Professor Ray Hilborn, who founded Sustainable Fisheries UW, emerged as this […]