Page updated on 11/29/07
 

Harvest Fisheries
What is a stock, what is a population, and why it might be better to those who fish?
 

     In his presentation, Dr. Taggart (fisheries oceanographer) began with two explicit premises: 

1) Renewable fishery resources cannot be successfully managed from a purely political perspective; and

2)  Biological variability or diversity is essential for organisms to cope with uncertainty, and because that variability is found in the genetic structure of the organisms, the genetic diversity is itself a resource that must be conserved in the face of change; -change that stems from either fishing pressure or climate. 

     From there, he summarized various techniques (morphometrics and meristics, parasite loading, tagging, and genetics) and their utility for measuring diversity in and among fish "stocks" and their spawning components.  The implications of using or not using this diversity knowledge for managing different fishery populations under different fishing pressures was outlined.  Cod, herring and salmon fisheries, as well as lobster was used as examples.

Host:  Patrice Farrey, Maine Lobstermen’s Association