Deep sea fisheries - implications in conservation

Abstract

I stand before you as what I would reluctantly like to call a crisis conservationist. In marine fisheries conservation we are exposed to the full blast of human greed. Dr Hey has referred to the unfortunate human attitudes to nature conservation. I fully share his concern. Fisheries conservation finds itself in the unenviable position of having largely to apply conservation principles to species which are more often than not in advanced stages of commercial exploitation. In this situation ethics, aesthetics and science cuts little or no ice with decision-makers. The only language which they understand is economics. Unfortunately fisheries conservation has also been hampered by the well-meant but thoroughly unscientific efforts of certain lay so-called "conservation societies". Through their admirable but purely humanistic approach to conservation, they have antagonized economically-orientated decision-makers and thereby unfortunately harmed the cause of conservation.