Quote:
Anecdotal evidence is used all the time in fisheries research, and other sciences.
Its not entirely their fault that they think the oceans aren't what they used to be. The easiest thing is to do is to blame fishermen (fishing is the only thing they have a chance of controlling). They don't have the same crazy addiction that fishermen get, spending all their free time on the water looking for that trophy fish. All the signs say there are not as many fish in the sea as there used to be.
|
My contention then would be that places like this would be helpful rather than hurtful. Reports like, "YES, after X trips to LJ I finally got a yt!" or "Bait was easy to make just outside the reserve with both jack and pac mack plentiful" would be useful. I realize lack of timely reports are a selfish consequence of crowding and I'm guilty, but wouldn't actual reports help fill the gap left by folks snubbing the surveys?
PS I have some NMFs history, doing age/size/weight (volunteer) studies on pacific sardines. You think a wsb otolith is tricky to get, try a sardine or a thousand. Ha.
EDIT: Post 420!
