How Did Things Take Such a Wrong Turn?
While researching some other issues and reading a lot of old and new articles I came across this NOAA press release. It is only six years old (from June of 2003) but it reads like it is from a different world and a different time.
How did fishery management take such a drastic turn for the worse in such a short time?
Continuing efforts to aid the recovery of sea turtle populations, a team of NOAA scientists and U.S. fishermen is developing effective ways to minimize the potential for harming or catching them in commercial longline fisheries. Fishing gear specialists working at the Pascagoula, Miss., laboratory of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) have completed the first two years of a three-year research program in cooperation with the Bluewater Fishermen’s Association. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the Department of Commerce.
“This program is a fine example of a cooperative effort between federal and state research organizations and private industry to solve a complex environmental problem. The positive results will ensure a healthy and richly diverse marine ecosystem,” said Bill Hogarth, director of NOAA Fisheries. “The development of effective measures to minimize sea turtle bycatch will help ensure successful turtle conservation efforts and allow valuable commercial fisheries to continue to operate.”
Co-operative effort? What the hell? “positive results”? Who cares about that. “Allow valuable commercial fisheries to continue to operate”??? Who the hell are these people?
Surely the change from Bill Hogarth to Roy Crabtree couldn’t have poisoned the well so completely and thoroughly. Could it?
