Cut fleet numbers to help fish stocks recover: study
National Post , 18 Feb 02

HALIFAX - Fishing fleets in the North Atlantic must be seriously reduced if depleted fish stocks are to ever recover, a group of scientists is recommending. A study released Saturday revealed that catches of preferred fish species such as cod, tuna, haddock, flounder and hake have declined over the last 50 years despite a growing effort to find them. The study conducted by an international group of fisheries scientists painted a grim picture of fish stocks in the North Atlantic. "The only way we are maintaining yield is by increasing effort," said Daniel Pauly of the University of British Columbia. "But you need fish to make fish, so we have produced a massive reduction in productivity." While collapses of fisheries in New England and Newfoundland have appeared to be local in scale, the study said the collapse affects the entire North Atlantic.