Dolphins forced to break into nets to find food by overfishing in the Mediterranean, report says

[Confounding]

Pretty smart critters, but overfishing is a serious problem.

Overfishing has turned Mediterranean dolphins into thieves

Dolphins short on prey are resorting to underhanded tactics to find a meal – tearing into nets to access the fish inside. Researchers studying interactions between dolphins and fishermen in northern Cyprus found nets were six times more prone to damage when dolphins were in the vicinity. They concluded that the marauding marine mammals were therefore the most likely culprits. “It seems that some dolphins may be actively seeking nets as a way to get food,” said Dr Robin Snape, an ecologist at the University of Exeter, who led the study.

 

[Pete7469]

Exaggerated Claims About Over-Fishing Of The Oceans?

 

[Pete7469]

Another serious problem, one I think won't be fixed, is the pacific garbage patch. Way too costly, and trash constantly flows into the ocean.

We can easily fix over fishing the same way we manage game and fisheries in the US. I don't believe humans are going to eat all the fish on earth.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

I don't believe humans are going to eat all the fish on earth.

A few reasons why this is misguided:

1) A species' population does not have to be reduced to zero in order to fall below a threshold that leads to extinction

2) it's not a question of "eating all the fish". We don't consume any and every species' of fish. We generally consume the ones which are both the easiest to catch and are the most nutritious. This represents a very small percentage of all fish species. Greatly reduce these populations, and the human race has a real problem.

3) We should have a healthy fear of the unknown. In this case, we don't fully understand ecosystems. Greatly reducing the population of only one species could have an undesirable ripple effect throughout an ecosystem, affecting our food sources negatively. This is exacerbated by the fact that this could be ANY species (even ones we do not eat), and the fact that our fishing nets do not discriminate.

 

[Confounding]

Another serious problem, one I think won't be fixed, is the pacific garbage patch. Way too costly, and trash constantly flows into the ocean.

Agreed.

We can easily fix over fishing the same way we manage game and fisheries in the US. I don't believe humans are going to eat all the fish on earth.

Let's do it then.