SYMP 24-2
Ecological uncertainties in enhancing capture fisheries production
This paper examines the many sources of uncertainty in ecological and fisheries science that affect our understanding of the major issues in food security: greater understanding may help to shape fresh policies that may turn the tide of the well-publicized present fisheries disaster, often termed an “aquacalypse”. Yet there is no consensus that there actually is a fisheries disaster and many think that the tide has already turned. Not only is ecology an immature science, its many theories having only equivocal support from empirical evidence, but also fisheries science suffers from the same confounding factors. For example, marine food production should be substantially increased by deliberately “fishing down the food web” targeting low trophic level organisms in marine systems, such as harvesting marine crustaceans (krill) that eat phytoplankton. Yet we are profoundly unsure that the results of such new fishing would unfold as theory suggests. A synoptic perspective from post-normal science is required to improve our insight of the issues that will soon be critical for sustainable seafood production in the near future
Results/Conclusions
This paper examines the many sources of uncertainty in ecological and fisheries science that affect our understanding of the major issues in food security: greater understanding may help to shape fresh policies that may turn the tide of the well-publicized present fisheries disaster, often termed an “aquacalypse”. Yet there is no consensus that there actually is a fisheries disaster and many think that the tide has already turned. Not only is ecology an immature science, its many theories having only equivocal support from empirical evidence, but also fisheries science suffers from the same confounding factors. For example, marine food production should be substantially increased by deliberately “fishing down the food web” targeting low trophic level organisms in marine systems, such as harvesting marine crustaceans (krill) that eat phytoplankton. Yet we are profoundly unsure that the results of such new fishing would unfold as theory suggests. A synoptic perspective from post-normal science is required to improve our insight of the issues that will soon be critical for sustainable seafood production in the near future