April 19, 2013
Study finds some overfished stocks return
An international study on over-exploited fish and invertebrates found that some depleted fish stocks can come back from the brink. But the study, published this week in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Science, also said that while some stocks may be more resilient than initially thought, their recovery depends on sensible management. Co-author Julia Baum, a University of Victoria biology professor, says the tendency has been to delay fishing cuts. The study found the longer cuts are postponed, the more uncertain the recovery becomes.
The study looked at 153 fish and invertebrate species throughout the world. The analysis suggested that the majority of stocks are resilient to moderate overfishing and have a good chance of recovering within 10 years—if fishing pressure is reduced rapidly and substantially once a stock has depleted. But rebuilding efforts for many currently depleted stocks has been slow in happening, and continued overfishing has led to their collapse.
The full study is at: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6130/347.abstract
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