CATCHING "BIGGEST" FISH MAY NOT BE BEST - EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE MAY BE IMPACTED
Catching only the largest fish may be causing the average size of fish to decrease is the conclusion of a New York Sea Grant funded study appearing in the July 5th issue of the journal Science. Researchers David O.Conover and Stephan B. Munch posit that fishery management plans ignore evolutionary change in harvestable commercially important fisheries. They observed that in an experimental population of Atlantic silverside fish where large individuals were selectively removed, the average size of the silversides declined dramatically in just four generations. Conversely, when smaller fish were removed, the average size increased. Conover makes two suggestions to manage fisheries for sustainable harvest over the long haul: 1) A rethinking of the reliance of minimum-size restrictions as a basic management tool; 2) the establishment of no-take reserves or marine protected areas that may, if properly designed, provide for the maintenance of natural genetic variation of marine life.
CONTACT: David Conover, New York Sea Grant Researcher, Professor of Marine Science, Stony Brook University, (O) 631-632-8667, E-mail: dconover@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
ACOUSTIC SENSING METHODS MAY IMPROVE HURRICANE PREDICTION
False hurricane evacuations can cost coastal areas millions of dollars. Yet warnings that do not come in time can cost lives. Evacuation inaccuracies occur be
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Contact: Ben Sherman
sherman@nasw.org
202-662-7095
National Sea Grant College Program
8-Jul-2002