The United States hasn't caught on to the Micronesian leadership, and sets aside less than 1% of near-coast waters. In fact, activity in the Hawaiian legislature suggests that fishing advocates don't really understand the implications of overfishing:
In Hawaii, where the reefs are largely depleted of fish, a “right to fish” bill recently approved by the state house of representatives would make it almost impossible to create any protected areas by requiring unattainable scientific data. (emphasis mine)Unfortunately for the fishermen, a collapsing fish population doesn't have to respect your "right" to fish.
For more on oversfishing, check out this Scientific American piece discussing how worldwide fish catches peaked in 1994 and have declined every year since.
No comments:
Post a Comment