The editorial, "Fisheries Im-provement" (BDN, Jan. 17), shed some much-needed light on the perils of overfishing.
It's
unfortunate that members of New England's congressional delegation have
fallen hook, line and sinker for the dubious claim that the best way to
stop overfishing is to allow fisheries managers to circumnavigate catch
limits.
New
England's fisheries are faring worse than most: the once infamous
Georges Bank cod stock is at less than 10 percent of its intended
biomass and it has declined approximately 25 percent since 2001.
And
New England managers are worse than most at controlling fishing effort:
for every pound of fish brought to port, two pounds of fish are
discarded at sea - this rate is eight times higher than the national
average, which is still disappointing.
Yet
Sen. Snowe and others are proposing to weaken the language that would
ensure a sustainable fishery. New England's congressional delegation
should not push failed management strategies on the rest of the
country.
To save New England's fishing heritage, we need to save some fish; this cannot be achieved without catch limits.
Heidi Overbeck
Preservation Associate
Environment Maine
Portland
