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Mike, I think you need to think more carefully about the various possible
definitions and uses of the term overfishing.

There is growth overfishing, recruit overfishing, plus a stock can be
overfished in terms of either the maximum sustainable yield or even the
maximum economic yield, i.e. a stock can be overfished in relation to a
number of different metrics.  You are assuming that when most people use
the term overfishing they are refering to recruitment overfishing, this is
a reasonable assumption as I agree that this is what peopl commonly take to
mean by overfishing.

Thus, yes I agree that overfishing is a scientific term, but you need to
make sure that everyone is talking about the same type of 'overfishing'.
However 'overfishing' as a legal term it may have specific meanings.

regards

Will Le Quesne
National Oceanography Centre
Southampton, U.K.

Quoting Mike Flaherty <[log in to unmask]>:

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> An article titled, "Scallops overfished for past 2 years, official says",
> appeared on the front page of today's New Bedford Standard Times.
>
> http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/05-05/05-26-05/a01lo102.htm
>
> There was one excerpt in it which gave me pause...
>
> ===============================
> "Overfishing is a legal term, not a scientific term, and is therefore not
> an
> accurate way to evaluate the health of the scallop fishery, Dr.
> Kenchington
> said."
> ===============================
>
> As I roughly understand things, "overfishing" is defined as a point
> beyond
> which harvest/mortality levels exceed sustainable levels in a fishery.
> It
> is further my understanding that the thresholds for sustainability are
> arrived at scientifically.  If this is true, then isn't overfishing truly
> a
> scientific term?  More importantly, is it a reasonably accurate way to
> evaluate the health of a fishery?
>
> Thanks,
> Mike Flaherty
> Wareham, MA
>
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