May 21, 2012 – Speaking at the World Fisheries Congress 2012, Graham Patchell, from the Sealord Group New Zealand and Chief Scientist for the Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association (SIODFA), asked whether deepwater fisheries were overfished or simply misunderstood. Charlotte Johnston, TheFishSite editor reports.
Mr Patchell said that the biggest challenge for deepwater fisheries was ensuring that data, that can really tell you what is happening in the deep ocean, is available for management decision making.
He went on to say that there was a lot of premeditated information about deepwater fisheries that was inaccurate. In fact, he said, many "overfished" stocks are now seen as sustainably managed, as the industry's understanding of the stocks has increased.