Where Have All the Fish Gone?
In the Northeast, the once-plentiful supply of haddock, cod, and yellowtail flounder – bottom-feeding “groundfish” that were once the staple of the region’s fishing industry – has declined to the point where fishing for those species has been severely curtailed. In the Gulf of Mexico, overfishing and the use of shrimp nets may have nearly depleted the red snapper fishery. In the Chesapeake Bay, the oyster population for which the bay is famous is at an all-time low. And in the Pacific Northwest, salmon are on the verge of extinction. Meanwhile, Down East lobstermen have seen their catch rates reach record highs in recent years. To preserve their 200-year-old industry, lobstermen in Maine practice a number of conservation measures: minimum and maximum carapace size, V-notching and throwing back of all egg-bearing females, prohibition against taking V-notched lobsters, trap limits, and no hauling on Sunday or after sunset during June, July, and August. But lobstermen with an interest in
