Report: Cod rebound in doubt

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/050914cod.shtml

Adult cod populations in the Gulf of Maine and around Georges Bank plummeted more than 20 percent between 2001 and 2004, according to a new federal assessment released Tuesday.

The drop came even as fishing rules steadily tightened, ending with the May 2004 enactment of a new slate of restrictions known as Amendment 13. Among the measures was a 24 percent cut in already reduced fishing days.

The population decline indicates that overfishing continues to be a problem, according to the report prepared by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

<snip>

"Things were looking good and then suddenly the bottom fell out," said Bob Steneck, professor of marine biology and policy at the University of Maine.

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[henslee]

1. Used to cod fish off a party boat as a kid in NY.

[phantom power]

2. Maybe they're looking at the wrong thing.

There's other things going on these days besides over-fishing. Ocean warming, algae blooms, dead zones, plankton changes. It's all bad for fish populations.