Strip mining the seas…
[I can’t really figure out which scares me more… the ecological devastation implicit in this report… or the utterly clueless response of the Bush Administration official. -Thomas]
Study: Big ocean fish nearly gone
The Bush administration met the study with caution.
“There’s nothing that assures us that the data they are using is representative of all populations in the world,” said Michael Sissenwine, head of fisheries science at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
He agreed that commercial fishing can cause big reductions in populations quickly, typically reducing a species’ population by at least 50 percent.
“We shouldn’t, on the other hand, conclude that a substantial reduction is a problem,” he said. “The point is we shouldn’t be thinking we can have fisheries and leave the ecosystem in a pristine state.”
[No, Mr. Sissenwine, the point is that a sustainable fishery doesn’t wipe out at least half of the resource right off the bat, or more, and keep them wiped out. There’s a difference between an old growth forest, a forest that is sustainably harvested, and one that is clear cut. It is called “living lightly on the land”. GET A FUCKING CLUE.]