Wednesday, May 03, 2006

The inevitable logic of overfishing


Bad news today from New England, the fishing season for cod opened with yet another round of restrictions.

Cod are in trouble, and fishermen have to leave their boats tied to the dock most of the year. How did we get into this mess?

The inevitable logic of overfishing.
The inexorable tragedy of too many boats.
An inexcusable failure for people and fish.

How long must this go on? For awhile longer, I'm afraid.

Fishing interests and politicians from the region continue to ask Congress for more "flexibility" which translates to "can we please keep overfishing cod?" Haven't we learned our lesson from the last two decades of overfishing of cod?

It's time to end this overfishing entitlement, because some fish are just too valuable to kill. Right now, New England's cod are worth more alive and in the water than dead in a fish market.

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