Why do anglers prize bass but shun gar? A study says we need a paradigm shift to help ecosystems - Entrepreneur Generations

Avid bass fisher Eric Matechak writes on his blog that he loves
bass fishing because the species is challenging prey.

A study recently published in Fisheries Magazine discusses why anglers—and consumers—prize certain types of fish, such as bass and salmon but shun other types of fish as "rough" or "trash," Lela Nargi reports for The Counter. Part of it is ethnocentrism: we value the fish that white males of European descent value, since they make up the vast majority of fisheries science and management positions. From the nation's early days, such officials tended to place lower value on fish commonly eaten by indigenous tribes, immigrants, and people of color. But, though attitudes and regulations on prized fish species have "shifted substantially" over the past century, policies for many rough fish species haven't.

Anglers and consumers must learn to look at rough fish differently, the study says, because such fish are critical to ecosystems, but they're vulnerable to overfishing and decline when fishing policies don't set bag limits.

A fish conservationist agreed, saying that "thinking of some native fish like gar, suckers, and bigmouth buffalo as undesirable is trashing the earth’s biodiversity and the ecosystem services that biodiversity delivers," Nargi reports. "Indigenous and immigrant communities that rely on these 'lesser' fishes for food, and who practice strategies that preserve their numbers, have been largely left out of the conversation about which fish matter and don’t, exacerbating the problem."

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/3bIjuEP Why do anglers prize bass but shun gar? A study says we need a paradigm shift to help ecosystems - Entrepreneur Generations

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