HOW STUFF WORKS • January 13, 2023
Maine lobster fishermen received a Christmas gift from Congress at the end of 2022: A six-year delay on new federal regulations designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. My research as a maritime historian, focusing on disputes tied to industrial fishing, shows the profound impacts that particular fishing gear can have on marine species. These controversies aren't resolved quickly, which bodes poorly for species on the brink. Across the globe, more than 3 billion people obtain from 20 percent to over 50 percent of their animal protein from aquatic sources. Rising demand for wild-caught fish is likely to increase bycatch. Unintentional capture of any species harms the ocean's ecological health and threatens communities that rely on the sea for sustenance. ~ Blake Earle, assistant professor of history, Texas A&M University