Posted by msblucow on December 15, 2002 at 13:47:42:
In Reply to: Re: Don't take my word for it.... posted by Steve on December 15, 2002 at 11:20:13:
Oh man, where do I start?
First you said, "The 2300 population figure you quote is a California number I presume because I've read their number worldwide have increased to over 150,000. So 2300 X 15 X 365 = 12,590,500 pounds of sea food per year consumed by otters(in California). So millions of tons over 30 years isn't far from wrong."
First of all, using your own numbers, I come up with exactly 188,857.5 tons over 30 years. Not exactly millions of tons is it?
Secondly, you go on to state, "Fishermen and Otters are in direct conflict for the resource and when the otters were gone the industry flourished so you're probably right again. At least the fishermen abide by size limitation and species harvesting to preserve the next generation. I kinda like the big water rats but they are very destructive and counter productive to a growing healthy ecosystem. "
Where exactly do you get the facts and figures to back up this claim? What studies are you sighting? What mammologists are you talking to?
The thing I find so shameful Steve, is that you're a fellow scientific diver at the AOP, and you won't even take the time to talk to the folks who work there to get your facts straight. If you did, you wouldn't be making the kind of ill informed statements that I quoted above. Seahunt I can pretty much dismiss out of hand because he's already demonstrated how willfully ignorant he is, but as a representative of the AOP to the diving community as a whole, you should know better.
Oh, and to answer your last question, I'm for any and all restrictions on consumptive practices (or pollution pressure) by humans that will ensure that healthy populations of all sealife can be maintained for future generations. Period.