Yet left to their own devices, cod are thought to live for at least thirty years. It is a testament to the great efficiency with which we exploit living marine resources that fish like cod are now much more likely to die at the hands of fishermen than for all other reasons put together, once they get into the fisheries.
这种状况如果长期得不到改善，后果就会越来越明显，因此，考虑到我们的渔业治理现状，只有很少数的鱼类个体能够长大，长成。如果让鳕鱼处于自然生态环境，它们至少能存活三十年；可是一旦进入渔场，它们死在渔民手里的可能性比其他所有导致死亡的原因累加起来都要大。这可以说是人类开发海洋生物资源高效性的有力证明。