Learning from cod collapse to save tuna( Even after a decade of intense prote...)

Even after a decade of intense protection, cod populations have not rebounded as fisheries scientists predicted they would. Does the fault lie in the fishermen, the regulators, or the scientists" Or is the answer to be found in history" asked Kurlansky. British Columbias Pauly proposed that the answer lay in history. Although we know much about Atlantic cod and bluefin tuna, we have not learned a thing from their history and we may lose them because of that, he said.

Rosenberg showed what the cod case can teach tuna management by examining the cod case to illustrate how historic and current fishing pressure and the unique characteristics that made cod vulnerable to exploitation contribute to their continued state of depletion.

Innovative research to learn more about these apex predators is being implemented by scientists like Stanfords Block who fits tuna with data-logging satellite tags or implanted archival tags. Its like tossing a computer inside a tuna and hoping that one day you'll see it again and the memory chip will be filled with tuna days, she said. Mapping key locations for bluefin tuna may help protect the species escape total population collapse. From the other side of the world, Jose Ingles of WWF-Philippines spoke about the start of an imminent decline in high value fisheries. Abundant fish aggregating devices are resulting in significant juvenile bycatch, a severe threat to species like bigeye and yellowfin tunas. This hurts the economy and impacts the species, said Ingles. If juvenile fish are allowed to mature, they would be worth more than $1.5 billion annuallysignificantly higher than the $236 million currently derived from juvenile catch.

New joint management between juvenile and adult yellowfin and bigeye tuna catching nations could result in millions of dollars for local economies, resulting in win-win outcomes for fish and people, suggests economist University of British Columbias Sumaila, This approa
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