How long can the population of herring withstand the on slaught of mid water trawling ? ? ?
Here in the 21st centuary we haven't learned how these same boats devastated the european herring fishery almost into extinction. The fishery has grown from just a 1/2 dozen boats to nearly 20, each capable of holding a million pounds. And they are also doing a job on the mackerel.
Not always but frequently these trawlers catch 600,000lbs. in a two hour tow. In todays world of sophisticated bottom sounders and sonars which some are mounted to the net, spot and help keep the net on the fish. They raise and lower the net as needed from the pilot house. It's not like the old days when all you saw was a bleep on the screen , put the net out and tow and you would catch some but not all of the school of fish.
Tuna, cod ,haddock STRIPERS and other fish depend on these bait fish. Here off of Cape Ann the tuna didn't come close to shore this year, there were no herring.
The government says that there is a big bio-mass of herring and mackerel . They also claim that there is two seperate bio -masses of herring, an inshore and off shore . the off shore being around Georges Bank.
I'll give the fishery about two years to collaspe to a point where it won't be veasible to maintain a big commercial fleet.
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