Hilborn Study Redefines Forage Fish and Predator Relationships; Suggests Fishing Pressure Lesser Factor
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] April 3, 2017
New research published today in the journal Fisheries Research finds that fishing of forage species likely has a lower impact on predators than previously thought, challenging previous studies that argued forage fish are more valuable left in the ocean.
In 2012 a Lenfest study got wide play claiming that models showed fishing pressure on prey species had big impacts on the abundance of predator species, such as cod and tuna. However, some of the authors of the original model have now joined with other researchers to say it is out of date.
A team of seven respected fisheries scientists, led by Prof. Ray Hilborn, Ph. D., of the University of Washington, found that predator populations are less dependent on specific forage fish species than assumed...
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