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There is a major difference though, as called out in the article. With stone weirs fish collect in pools and you can pick and choose what to take. And can speci

There is a major difference though, as called out in the article. With stone weirs fish collect in pools and you can pick and choose what to take. And can specifically choose not to take more than needed that day, as well as avoid taking or harming undersized younger fish two things to help ensure sustainability. While possible with the net route, it would be notably harder to be selective about limiting the fish that get tangled in nets.

mrintegrity 5y ago
from what i have been told by family who work in the fishing industry, catching only the fish over a certain size is often a missguided and damaging policy not founded im science. Mature fish can reproduce regularly with the expectation that the vast majority of their young will not survive to sexual maturity, by taking only those fish you are removing the source of new fish. Better to throw back the big ones.
- rdtwo 5y ago
  Big fish lay significantly more and more viable eggs than small fish. It is indeed smarter to only harvest smaller and younger fish
- qchris 5y ago
  This is one of the big reasons why marine protected areas (MPAs) are such an important strategy for both fisheries and conservation. When areas totally free from fishing pressure are created, the fully mature individuals within them are much more reproductively successful. This can fairly quickly lead to spill-over into the unprotected adjacent areas, which in turn can become a more productive fishery than if the entire area was open to begin with.
devilbunny 5y ago
I am not a shrimper or a commercial fisherman, but clearly some factor makes nets appropriate for one or the other. These are not large tides, less than a meter between high and low. Any creatures caught will miss a meal (or possibly become one), but considering that the net is quite literally dipped into the waterway they live in and pulled up later, they should live. Any fish will be thrown in after a minute or two in the net. These are not commercial harvests, just private ones that might garner 5 kg total catch.

mrintegrity 5y ago

from what i have been told by family who work in the fishing industry, catching only the fish over a certain size is often a missguided and damaging policy not founded im science. Mature fish can reproduce regularly with the expectation that the vast majority of their young will not survive to sexual maturity, by taking only those fish you are removing the source of new fish. Better to throw back the big ones.

rdtwo 5y ago
Big fish lay significantly more and more viable eggs than small fish. It is indeed smarter to only harvest smaller and younger fish
qchris 5y ago
This is one of the big reasons why marine protected areas (MPAs) are such an important strategy for both fisheries and conservation. When areas totally free from fishing pressure are created, the fully mature individuals within them are much more reproductively successful. This can fairly quickly lead to spill-over into the unprotected adjacent areas, which in turn can become a more productive fishery than if the entire area was open to begin with.

devilbunny 5y ago

I am not a shrimper or a commercial fisherman, but clearly some factor makes nets appropriate for one or the other. These are not large tides, less than a meter between high and low. Any creatures caught will miss a meal (or possibly become one), but considering that the net is quite literally dipped into the waterway they live in and pulled up later, they should live. Any fish will be thrown in after a minute or two in the net. These are not commercial harvests, just private ones that might garner 5 kg total catch.