Seafood News
September 20, 2024.
By Linda Behnken
Letter to the Editor in response to August 22, 2024 Winding Glass column.
John Sackton’s op-ed about climate change and fisheries, Winding Glass: Climate Change Turns Fisheries Sustainability on its Head, hit me hard, as I expect it did most fishermen. With these words: "the reality is that many fisheries are vulnerable to climate-induced collapse over the next decade,” he summarized the latest science on the collapse of Bering Sea crab fisheries and gave all of us in the industry fair warning. The oceans are changing in unprecedented ways; we can no longer expect future trends to reflect the past nor what was once “sustainable” management to save our fisheries.
What John did not address is the role fishermen can play in limiting and slowing climate change to stabilize our fisheries and ocean ecosystems. We need not be passive victims of these changes. Our jobs and livelihoods depend on healthy fisheries; we are an industry that can call for climate action to protect our jobs, communities, and way of life. Scientists and at least some politicians know what needs to be done to stabilize the climate— what they need is political cover to do it. Now is the time for fishermen to find their voice and provide that cover. We need strong leadership and meaningful action, and we need it now.
Read full article here