Many Fisheries on the Rebound – Good for Fish, Environment, and Jobs

By Brent Fewell

I admittedly grow weary at times with all the dour, long-faced, gloom-and doom stuff of my fellow environmental friends.  While truth is paramount even when the news isn’t always rosy and cheery, increasingly some environmentalists seem unwilling to serve up good news when good news indeed exists.  Can’t explain the phenomena, and I know they mean well, but it’s almost as if many believe that pointing out good news is bad and will only detract from the mission of saving the planet.  So kudos to Brad Sewell over at NRDC on a new study that reveals positive trends on efforts to restore fisheries once on the brink of collapse, as reported by Brian Handwerk over at National Geographic.

Two-thirds of the closely monitored U.S. fish species once devastated by overfishing have bounced back in a big way thanks to management plans us-fisheries-recover-after-decades-of-protection_65437_600x450instituted 10  to 15 years ago, a new study says. And fish aren’t the only ones  celebrating. Recovering populations can mean more revenue and jobs for  some fishermen—but unfortunately success hasn’t been universal.

This good news doesn’t mean we’ve crossed the finish line; rather, it means we’re simply on the right course.  But let’s give credit to the lawmakers, resource managers, conservation groups and others who have worked tirelessly to adopt laws and programs that appear to be working.

(Update:  A reader sent me this link to a humorous yet enlightening Youtube clip by Penn & Teller Bullshit: Environmental Hysteria.)