Species Rebound after Gulf Fishing Moratorium

The results of the moratorium on fishing in the gulf are starting to come in, and they look very promising.  All species sampled have experienced a population rebound, especially in species with a short life cycle. 

There's always been debate over how fishing affects population levels, and now there's clearcut evidence to prove that the ceasing of commercial fishing, even for a short period, allows for dramatic population recovery!  This is good news for groups and scientifist urging for regular moratoriums in certain areas, who now have something definitive to offer policymakers. 

In the graph to the left you can see that commercial catches increased by a huge margin after the oil spill and subsequent closure to commercial fishing.  While certainly not good for the environment, luckily the spill did not have a detrimental impact on the species sampled.

Unfortunately, numbers will likely return to their pre-spill statistics if responsible fisheries management (and responsible seafood consumerism - nothing will change if you don't change how you spend your dollar!) is not implemented. 

So - be an eco-friendly consumer, and support local legislation that positively impacts the gulf ecology!