Science Bulletin: Whales Don’t Deplete Fisheries
Volume LXI · No. 3 · Madeira, Portugal · Wednesday June 24, 2009
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A new report from the prestigious journal Science suggests that even eradicating all whales that presumably prey of fish does not, in fact, increase fish stocks for fisheries in the Caribbean or off Northwest Africa.
Indeed, by eliminating whales, fisheries may in fact be impoverished, due to the loss of structure in the complex oceanic ecosystem. The authors further point out that killing whales in these waters will preclude the use of whales for lucrative whale watching operations.
The report, “Should Whales be Culled to Increase Fishery Yield?” (Science 13 Feb. 2009) notes that, while their ecosystem models do not show much gain for fisheries by removing whales, the models show significant benefits to local fisheries from changes in fishing rates.
As global fisheries continue to take large quantities of fish for use in rich countries like Japan, the US, and Europe, local artisanal fisheries suffer. But if the countries involved are focused on whales as the problem, the local people lose twice. They lose the opportunity to enjoy wild whales and develop a whale watching industry, and they are diverted from the real problems their local fisheries are facing from overconsumption.
Of course, the Japan Fisheries Agency fully understands these realities, as they benefit from duping third world countries about impacts on local fisheries and impacts on local whales.