Sacred Cod on Discovery tonight

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by tlapinski

In one part they were saying they could go out and get a full season's quota in 15 minutes hauling a net, but later they said there were no cod left for them to catch. So which is it?

I was confused by that, too. One commercial fishermen said there were no cod left to get. Others said there were plenty of cod.

One scientist said that the western part of the Gulf Of Maine (presumably an easier steam for Gloucster boats) had cod, but much of the rest of the Gulf, was barren. So if that's all that's left in that one section, it needs to be protected and allowed to grow.

What I didn't hear, was anyone on the commercial side, admitting that they played any role at all in this. Plenty of blame for global warming. I wonder why global warming isn't harming the dogfish populations.

[tlapinski]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

What I didn't hear, was anyone on the commercial side, admitting that they played any role at all in this. Plenty of blame for global warming.

EXCELLENT point! As I have said before when it comes to the management of every single species is that all stakeholders hold a responsibility for current population levels. Far too often there is no acceptance of blame in any way, shape or form. I saw this in the recent striped bass management talks a few years ago, and it's the same with cod.

[Vogt]

Originally Posted by tlapinski

EXCELLENT point! As I have said before when it comes to the management of every single species is that all stakeholders hold a responsibility for current population levels. Far too often there is no acceptance of blame in any way, shape or form. I saw this in the recent striped bass management talks a few years ago, and it's the same with cod.

Toby & Jim,

You bring up a good point but consider this... Is it the commercial fisherman's job to regulate their industry or is it NOAA's? Need I say more? These guys are going out and filling their quota's set by the feds... so who's to blame?

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Vogt

Toby & Jim,

You bring up a good point but consider this... Is it the commercial fisherman's job to regulate their industry or is it NOAA's? Need I say more? These guys are going out and filling their quota's set by the feds... so who's to blame?

That's a pretty good point...I wouldn't say it's the commercial fisherman's responsibility to evaluate the health of the fish stock, but he has a vested interest (if not the responsibility) in giving some thought to the long-term health of the stock, and the sustainability of current practices.

But that doesn't mean they can't admit that they played a large role in the collapse of the stocks. I don't think you need to be a marine biologist to figure out that dragging probably isn't something designed to ensure the long term health of the fish stock.

[puppet]

I watched it and found it all to be very interesting and of course
heart breaking.... from resource, social economic, and New England
heritage perspective.

Same with the briefly mentioned condition of the lobster fishery and the
unspoken situation with the Striped Bass. Seems like just about
every fishery is on wobbly legs here in the Northeast.

I really do no care who is at fault as its a collective problem. I just hope
someone comes up with a solution that sticks.

regarding the studies and the data....it would be great for it
to be more accurate, but clearly there is a problem.

The dogfish fishery was the only positive breath in the whole
documentary. That was pretty interesting to watch. Sign me up to
eat some of those mirror eyed critters!!! Hopefully the unlimited
supply is not just another error in calculations. Like, what other fish
can we think of that was described as having unlimited supply???
hmmmm.