covediver
Contributor
The National Resources Defense Council is petitioning the National Marine Fisheries Service to list the pinto abalone as endangered. As with past petitions to list other species of the abalone, the NRDC in part blames sport divers for the decline, either through overharvest or bad technique. But, we are not alone to blame. As the petition notes
"While overharvest by both commercial and recreational fisheries has historically contributed to population declines, current threats are largely from illegal poaching and increased predation mortality on populations that are near or already below the density threshold required to replenish themselves, and from climate change, ocean acidification, and disease."
While we get blamed for historic declines due to legal take we contnue to perpetuate our bad habits by turning to poaching.
I just don't get these enviros sometime. I guess they might include us as "invasive species" if that were a potential threat to the critters.
The entire petition can be found at http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bsewell/NRDCListingPetitionPintoAbalone-June_27_2013-2.pdf
"While overharvest by both commercial and recreational fisheries has historically contributed to population declines, current threats are largely from illegal poaching and increased predation mortality on populations that are near or already below the density threshold required to replenish themselves, and from climate change, ocean acidification, and disease."
While we get blamed for historic declines due to legal take we contnue to perpetuate our bad habits by turning to poaching.
I just don't get these enviros sometime. I guess they might include us as "invasive species" if that were a potential threat to the critters.
The entire petition can be found at http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/bsewell/NRDCListingPetitionPintoAbalone-June_27_2013-2.pdf
