Posted by Sonke on February 19, 2004 at 13:19:20:
In Reply to: Mr. Sonke if you please.... posted by seahunt on February 19, 2004 at 06:23:15:
Why do the sports and commercials not like reserves? I like simple questions. The basic answer is that reserves remove areas available for fishing. Probably no different than how you might feel if you were prohibited from diving in an area you have loved to dive in for years. I know that most fishermen are conservationists and do support restrictions to opportunity to protect fisheries. However, not all of them have bought into the idea that these reserves are actually necessary or that they will work.
Why are squid limits so unrealistically high? Not sure that they are. However, the uncertainty and need to bring some order to this fishery is the reason we are going through the management plan process.
While your general assessment of the success of fisheries management is not very accurate, we do have some clear disasters out there. Some of those occured during a time when much less was known about managing fisheries and when there were almost no regulatory tools available. Some disaster were due in part to unforseen changes in habitat and ocean conditions.
Is life perfect out there? Not by a long shot. There are many serious threats out there that we can do nothing about - the increasing global human population being the single greatest threat.
Are we sitting on our butts? No. Fishing, both commercial and sport, has undergone unprecedented changes and restrictions in the last 5 years to deal with the ever-changing circumstances. Fishing has never been more restricted than today. We do believe these measures will restore our fisheries to sustainable levels.
Sonke