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Editorial: NOAA's bycatch data shows fishermen are on right track |
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While any level of bycatch is unfortunate, the numbers show that Gloucester's and America's fishermen are, predictably, doing a better job than many had thought.
The news that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released its first national report on bycatch — one of the most vexing issues in the New England fishery, or any other — finally sets a framework for dealing with the ongoing problem. In New England, the bycatch rate was better at 14 percent. While the study doesn't reflect this, one reason may be the use by more New Englanders of the so-called Ruhle Trawl, an innovative means of designing a trawl for haddock that allows non-targeted fish — notably cod — to escape. But while a bycatch percent of zero remains the ideal, it's important to note that the New England mark is more than 30 percent lower than the alarmist figures that had been estimate by — of 22 percent — by green giants Oceana and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Read the complete editorial from The Gloucester Times
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HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act
May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.
