Along this line, there are two books I can strongly recommend, not only
because they are reliably accurate historically and well balanced
politically, but because they are truly a good read.

The first is a book by Carl Safina, "Song For The Blue Ocean".  It is a
fascinating book about three of the world's fisheries (North Atlantic,
Pacific Northwest, and Oceana) and written in a very even handed manner.
  He provides perspective on the situation by describing each of the
fisheries' fish and their habitat, presents the first hand story of the
fishermen (who are mostly just trying to make a living), and his
experiences with international 'gordian knot' of fisheries regulation.
'Blue Ocean' is a must-read for anyone who loves diving and the ocean.
This is not a book whining about who's right or wrong nor is it a "tree
hugger's" manual.  However, since so much of the world's population
depends on healthy fisheries to provide food and employment, this book
is a good place to start to gain insight into a problem that touches us
all.

The consummate book on how man completely wrecked the worlds greatest
fishery, is the book "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the
World" by Mark Kurlansky.  I thought it a bit strange when a friend
highly recommended a book called Cod.  After questioning him what the
book was about, he simply replied "Cod!"  I thought, "how boring", but
it is a riveting good read and a fascinating historical text documenting
how a virtually unlimited supply of food from the worlds largest
fishery, a supply that had literally supported the world for centuries,
could be run into extinction.

Best regards,
Russ


Lee Bell wrote:
> Per Michael's request, here is the first of multiple references to the effects of commercial fishing on fish stocks.  The series will extend over a longer than normal period because, in most cases, information comes from non digital sources, as does the one included:
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> No Place For Fish To Hide
>
> Damage to large species might be permanent.
>
>
>
> Dan Vergano
>
> USA Today
>
>
>
> Commercial fishing has wiped out 90% of the world's populations of large fish, scientists say.  Popular species in danger include tuna, cod, swordfish, marlin, halibut, skate, flounder and shark.
>
> And Scientists fear that the damage may be beyond repair.
>
>             The report, published today in the journal Nature suggests that international efforts to manage coastal and deep ocean fisheries have not kept up with advances in commercial fishing and oversized fishing fleets.  The study analyzed 13 fisheries, sea regions that are home to large-scale fishing operations.
>
> Most surprising to the researchers is the finding that industrialized fishing essentially has spread to every coastal and ocean source in the world.  Further, industrial fishing appears to deplete fish communities within only 10 to 15 years time.
>
>             "There's no place left in the world for fish to hide."  Says lead author and fisheries biologist Ransom Myers of Canada's Dalhousie University.
>
>             The study, conducted over 10 years, used industry date from over five decades to look at fisheries from the North Atlantic to the Artic Ocean.
>
>             Myers warns that at present rates of fishing, some species will disappear from supermarket shelves and that some sharks, like the hammerhead may become extinct.  He says excessive fishing arises from:
>
> -        Advances in fishing technology such as sonar and advanced long line and deep sea trawling techniques.
>
> -        Too many ships in fishing fleets.
>
> -        The failure of nations to agree to manage fish populations.
>
> Industry spokeswoman Linda Candler of the National Fisheries Institute calls the study results "overstated" and says they don't square with industry estimates of fish population recovery in some locals.  "The study is out of context and doesn't recognize the reality that fisheries are now part of the commercial fishing industry."
>
> However, fisheries biologist Andrew Rosenberg of the University of New Hampshire, who was not involved in the study, says the study suggests that excessive fishing already may have reduced some fisheries to unrecoverable levels.  Even though fish may reproduce in greater numbers to replace yearly losses, a point also raised by Candler - fish don't magically reproduce themselves completely every year, Rosenberg says.  Depleting them until it is clear the population is in peril may ruin a fishing region forever, he says.
>
>       "It's not a story of fishermen doing anything wrong, " Rosenberg says. "They need to pay their mortgages too, but there are simply too many boats chasing too few fish.
>
>       Nationwide, the $29 billion seafood industry employs about 250,000 people.  Medical researchers have found healthy heart benefits from eating fish, which has driven U.S. consumption.
>
>             Worldwide, fish is a diet staple.  About 78 million tons, a number widely regarded as an overestimate.  Conservationists warn that those numbers represent a decline to fishing levels of a decade ago, perhaps a sign of widespread depletion.
>
>             More international agreements to manage fisheries are needed, industry representatives and conservationists agree.  Such efforts have stabilized some swordfish, tuna and salmon populations for example, while stocks of North Atlantic redfish and cod have failed to recover.  China, with 32% of the world's fishing capacity, and billions to feed, may be an obstacle to such efforts, Candler says, but "we're hopeful China will participate in global fisheries agreements.
>