Naturally Interesting

In Science a few months back -  Economics of Overexploitation Revisited.

From the abstract:

About 25% of the world’s fisheries are depleted such that their current biomass is lower than the level that would maximize the sustained yield (MSY). By using methods not previously applied in the fisheries conservation context, we show in four disparate fisheries (including the long-lived and slow-growing orange roughy) that the dynamic maximum economic yield (MEY), the biomass that produces the largest discounted economic profits from fishing, exceeds MSY.

Translated: Commercial fishers should cut back on fishing now to boost long term profits.

For a long time now the fisheries management aim has been maximum sustainable yield (MSY). But many fisheries are still over exploited and biomass is under the MSY.  The paper suggests that increasing fish stocks beyond MSY to a level called maximum economic yield (MEY) would, as the name implies, deliver the greatest economic benefit.

The theory is simple. Right now there aren’t many fish in the sea. Finding and catching them requires a lot of effort (time, fuel, money). If fish stocks increase to a point where they are plentiful catching them becomes easy. Less effort expended + many fish caught = maximum economic benefit.

The researchers estimate MEY might be 10 to 20 percent over what fisheries managers now aim for (MSY). In the four fisheries studied for the paper the researchers found that once the fish reached their target abundance it took 20 to 30 percent less fishing effort to harvest the same catch as before.

My simple plan for salmon restoration here.