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After thinking about all we have read and talked about this year I choose #notenough to describe my view of our current fisheries. There are several reasons that I think this is a fitting description. First and foremost, there are simply #notenough fish in the sea to meet the ever-increasing demand. As we have seen time and time again the ocean is not holding an endless supply of protein. However, if managed correctly it can hold a sustainable amount. That brings me to my second reason. There is #notenough research conducted prior to and in the early years of a fishery. As Kevin Bailey noted in Billion Dollar Fish, there was little understanding of pollock abundance which caused poor management decisions. Additionally, when there were conflicting views of abundance estimates by scientists in the doughnut hole, they fished based on optimistic numbers rather than conservative estimates. If these people could have come to some sort of compromise, they may have been able to prevent the collapse of the fishery. Next, there is #notenough consolidated management. As seen in the northern cod fishery and later in the pollock fishery there are too many managers with too many opinions. If there were a way to consolidate into a single governing body then there could be a consistent management strategy across the fishery. Additionally, there could be restrictions placed during key spawning times to help with recruitment of future generations. And last, there is #notenough focus on the entire food web. Scientists do a fair job at looking at the management of species we “want’ but they are not doing enough to look at balancing the populations of the species we don’t desire or place some intrinsic value on. Yes, I am taking about whales, sharks, orcas, sea lions, otters, and all the other “majestic’ creatures we need to control in some way to balance the ecosystem as we take out biomass from other places.
Oh, and just because I can’t say it enough, as an extra hashtag…#friendsdon’tletfriendseatfarmedfish
This hashtag also sums up a lot of my thoughts on the state of the worlds fisheries. I agree with all of your points, especially that we do not focus enough on the entire ecosystem.
I think this is a really great hashtag. You bring light to so many of the things that are #notenough in the realm of fisheries. I think #notenough fits really nicely in this subject matter because it points to depleted species (not enough fish for the growing human population) and also points to things that humans aren’t doing enough of (research and management) so overall I think your hashtag is a perfect fit.
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