Comments on: Overfished West Coast Salmon May Have Shallow Future http://smartsense.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/overfished-west-coast-salmon-may-have-shallow-future/ Smart Sense is a politically and environmentally minded blog detailing the latest news, trends, and discussions. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:34:38 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Nicko http://smartsense.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/overfished-west-coast-salmon-may-have-shallow-future/#comment-83 Nicko Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:42:16 +0000 http://smartsense.wordpress.com/?p=41#comment-83 Thanks for the great comment, and thanks for stopping by! I think you make an interesting point, and a good one at that. The Atlantic Cod faced near-extinction because their habitat became inhabitable. As you pointed out, habitat destruction can come from a myriad of actions. But many of those issues have solutions: dams are being built with fish ladders, the BLM is regulating the sediment and other materials dumped into rivers, and eco-groups are fighting hard to protect water rights for salmon. News sources like the NYT and NPR seem to believe that the biggest, most destructive culprit of salmon habitat destruction is overfishing. State and Federal governments seem to buy into the same premise - which is why fishing is being limited but housing sprawl isn't. That isn't to say those other issues aren't valid nor important. I believe the environment is interdependently linked - for example there's no way to allow monoculture forests and maintain sustainable soil nutrients. But at the same time, fighting "habitat destruction" is complicated and hard. Fighting "overfishing" is much more black and white, and will lead toward the same result. Smart Sense Thanks for the great comment, and thanks for stopping by! I think you make an interesting point, and a good one at that. The Atlantic Cod faced near-extinction because their habitat became inhabitable.

As you pointed out, habitat destruction can come from a myriad of actions. But many of those issues have solutions: dams are being built with fish ladders, the BLM is regulating the sediment and other materials dumped into rivers, and eco-groups are fighting hard to protect water rights for salmon.

News sources like the NYT and NPR seem to believe that the biggest, most destructive culprit of salmon habitat destruction is overfishing. State and Federal governments seem to buy into the same premise – which is why fishing is being limited but housing sprawl isn’t.

That isn’t to say those other issues aren’t valid nor important. I believe the environment is interdependently linked – for example there’s no way to allow monoculture forests and maintain sustainable soil nutrients. But at the same time, fighting “habitat destruction” is complicated and hard. Fighting “overfishing” is much more black and white, and will lead toward the same result.

Smart Sense

]]> By: twodux http://smartsense.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/overfished-west-coast-salmon-may-have-shallow-future/#comment-82 twodux Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:37:21 +0000 http://smartsense.wordpress.com/?p=41#comment-82 Your headline is misleading. You point to overfishing as the culprit, when it is mostly a habitat issue. Between the dams on the Columbia and other rivers, housing and urban sprawl, logging practices which warm streams and leave them choked in sediment and the practice of spraying large areas with the equivalent of Round Up to suppress growth of unwanted trees and brush and planting monoculture forests, farming practices which pollute streams, run off from roads which pollute streams, competition with hatchery fish which are produced to try to hide all the other problems in the rivers, and the fight over water usage, salmon on the west coast have a hard row to hoe. Fix those problems and there will be no overfishing issue. Your headline is misleading. You point to overfishing as the culprit, when it is mostly a habitat issue. Between the dams on the Columbia and other rivers, housing and urban sprawl, logging practices which warm streams and leave them choked in sediment and the practice of spraying large areas with the equivalent of Round Up to suppress growth of unwanted trees and brush and planting monoculture forests, farming practices which pollute streams, run off from roads which pollute streams, competition with hatchery fish which are produced to try to hide all the other problems in the rivers, and the fight over water usage, salmon on the west coast have a hard row to hoe. Fix those problems and there will be no overfishing issue.

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