June 22, 2004
6/22 - NOAA Annual Fisheries Report Released: "Mission Accomplished"?
"Just a flesh wound," was what the armless and legless black knight said in Monty Python's Holy Grail. There's a similar ring to this years annual "Status of Fisheries of the United States" report from NOAA. Last year's report was optimistic, this year's is downright celebratory.
The only thing is, I don't see how this meshes with all the fisheries guys I spoke with last year in Seattle who were deeply depressed about the unchecked downward spiral of major fisheries. We don't want to be too cynical, but establishing rules and regulations, and actually enforcing them, are two different things. I was told recently from a major authority that the second largest illegal trade in California, second only to drug trade, is illegal fishing along the coast. Lots of rules, no enforcement does not make for healthy fisheries management.
So why are we so skeptical of the NOAA report -- one answer, "Shifting Baselines." To celebrate the "rebound" of North Atlantic swordfish, which plummeted to extremely low levels, then showed a slight increase from "disasterous" to "near disasterous" is a true case of shifting baselines. Yes, its good to take hope in any progress, but to immediately declare victory and announce "problem solved" is like putting up a banner that says, "Mission Accomplished."
