Fisheries Management!

Fisheries management is a topic in a continual turmoil. When have we ever heard of unanimous acceptance of any management policies being implemented.

The Worlds fisheries are recognized to be in crisis, Boris Worm et al. project the global collapse of all taxa currently exploited by 2048. This while stating that already 29% of all fisheries are down to less than 10% of their historical maximums (Worm et al. 2006).

This idea of maximums is of particular interest as many of the worlds fisheries management bodies are currently aiming for maximum yields. Managing according to maximum yields has an inherent flaw in the fact that environmental freak years can have significant impact on the remaining biomass.

The statements in the article by Worm et al. are seen as being strong, Ray Hilborn has indicated that the future of fisheries is very dependent on where in the world you are. This as there are many ways in which fisheries have been dealt with. Hilborn then suggests that the fisheries in the European Community, Africa and Asia are in much greater peril than in North America and other developed countries. Yet who is to say that this is not dependent on the eye that sees - Hilborn might look too positively at the circumstances in North America.