“Scientists shocked” as fisheries collapse along West Coast — “It’s the worst we’ve seen… they’re starving” — Death rates skyrocket, no babies being born — Fish stocks at all-time record lows
ENENews.com
November 9th, 2017
Seattle Times, Nov 7, 2017 (emphasis added): Gulf of Alaska cod populations appear to have nose-dived, a collapse fishery scientists believe is linked to warm water… “They get weak and die or get eaten by something else,” said [NOAA’s Steve Barbeaux]… The 2017 trawl net survey found the lowest numbers of cod on record… Scientists are trying to unravel what happened… a lot of the cod hatched in 2012 appeared to survive… But by 2017, those fish were largely gone for the surveys, which also found scant evidence of fish born in subsequent years… Many of the cod that have come on board trawlers are long skinny fish… according to Brent Paine, executive director off United Catcher Boats… “This is a big deal,” Paine said. “We just don’t see these (cod) year classes disappear from one year to the next”…
KBBI, Nov 6, 2017: Cod numbers in the Gulf of Alaska fall dramatically — The North Pacific Fishery Management Council… received some shocking news last month… NOAA surveys show that cod were the skinniest on record in 2015, but fish didn’t just get smaller. Natural mortality rates also skyrocketed for some important age classes of cod… This isn’t the first time cod stocks have taken dive in the Gulf… but Barbeaux said this time is different. “The difference between then and now is we don’t see any recruitment coming in”…
The Rest…HERE
