Cape 'No Cod'
Keep the Fishing Ban in New England
By CALLUM ROBERTS, NYT
YORK, England
THE fate of New England’s fishing industry could be determined soon as federal regulators decide whether to open up thousands of square miles of ocean that were closed to commercial fishing so cod, haddock and other species could recover from decades of over-exploitation. The government should hold firm and keep those areas closed.
Twenty years ago, New England’s fishing industry — whose annual catch is now second in value behind only Alaska’s — was on its knees. A region that had once supported some of the most productive fisheries in the world had succumbed to the might of a modern fleet bristling with new technology.
Cape Cod was named in the 17th century for the near-miraculous shoals of enormous cod that seethed around it. Generations of sailors marveled at cod so plentiful they could catch fish as fast as they could bait and haul in lines yet never seem to dent the teeming numbers.
The early 20th century saw hook and line give way to draggers that cut ever larger swaths across the seabed as they scooped fish into their nets. The passing years sharpened this lethal edge. Boats grew bigger and engines more powerful, dragging larger and stronger nets. Although fish numbers began to decline, the boats still found plenty to catch by using echo finders, later enhanced by computers and satellite positioning. That is, until there were so few fish left that even with the best technology, it became nearly impossible for fishermen to make a decent living.
(More here.)
YORK, England
THE fate of New England’s fishing industry could be determined soon as federal regulators decide whether to open up thousands of square miles of ocean that were closed to commercial fishing so cod, haddock and other species could recover from decades of over-exploitation. The government should hold firm and keep those areas closed.
Twenty years ago, New England’s fishing industry — whose annual catch is now second in value behind only Alaska’s — was on its knees. A region that had once supported some of the most productive fisheries in the world had succumbed to the might of a modern fleet bristling with new technology.
Cape Cod was named in the 17th century for the near-miraculous shoals of enormous cod that seethed around it. Generations of sailors marveled at cod so plentiful they could catch fish as fast as they could bait and haul in lines yet never seem to dent the teeming numbers.
The early 20th century saw hook and line give way to draggers that cut ever larger swaths across the seabed as they scooped fish into their nets. The passing years sharpened this lethal edge. Boats grew bigger and engines more powerful, dragging larger and stronger nets. Although fish numbers began to decline, the boats still found plenty to catch by using echo finders, later enhanced by computers and satellite positioning. That is, until there were so few fish left that even with the best technology, it became nearly impossible for fishermen to make a decent living.
(More here.)
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