QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS RE: The Effects on Fish stocks of
Fishing/Overfishing and other human activities -- how do
opposing theories compare to the "Starvation" theory? There is a
fair amount of speculation and disagreement among different
parties as to what are the actual effects on fish stocks of fish
removal/fishing (if any). As well there is concern and
speculation about the effects on fish stocks of other human
activities (mainly pollution, altering normal runoff patterns
and disturbing critical habitat such as estuaries, as well as
the physical alteration of bottom habitat by bottom trawling).
The first issue that I will address here is the question of how
fishing methods have affected the size of the fish in the sea.
It is generally known that individual fish on average are
smaller than they used to be, not only are they younger but they
appear to be growing more slowly that in the past. (This refers
to ocean stocks, apparently is it not necessarily the case in
enclosed waters like the Mediterranean. Th