The easing of fishing pressure prompted by the oil spill shows that sound management practices that prudently limit fishing seasons, daily catch limits and so forth are critical.
There are many lessons to be learned from the Gulf oil spill, but one that was largely unexpected is surfacing in recent studies of the populations of marine creatures. Although concerns remain about the long-term impact of the spill, it has become clear that the months that most of the Gulf was closed to fishing produced an extraordinary recovery of fish and shrimp populations.
Scientists interviewed by the Press-Register of Mobile note that the results of the reduced fishing pressure show the astounding resilience of the ecosystem. It almost works too well, they said, because the growth in marine life populations may make it hard to gauge the full scale of the negative effects of the spill.
Read the complete editorial from the Montgomery Advertiser.