July 07, 2004
7/7 - The Truth About U.S. Fish Stocks?
For the past two years NOAA has trumpeted the good news of rebounding fish stocks in their annual report released in May. But, as this article says (registration required)...
"... environmentalists, academics and some lawmakers have a different view. They speak of fish populations that have experienced precipitous declines and are just now struggling to rebuild. They note that out of the 215 stocks the government tracks, one-third, or 76, are being fished faster than they can reproduce. The popular George's Bank cod in New England has sunk 77 percent since 1978, while the West Coast rockfish known as bocaccio has nearly vanished, declining 97 percent since the late 1960s."
