When a study two years ago warned that commercial fisheries could be wiped out in 40 years, University of Washington biologist Ray Hilborn got out his flamethrower and blasted what he called a "mind-boggling stupid" conclusion.
The other side fired back, and for a while it looked like a full-fledged fish war would break out between scientists who forecast doom and those who see reason for hope.
Then the groups started talking to each other.
The result is a new analysis published Thursday in the journal Science that provides the most comprehensive look at fish stocks around the world. While the researchers found 63 percent of commercial species have been fished to perilously low levels, they also report that many species have rebounded when fishing pressure is scaled back.