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[Phys-l] Doing good does bad (an example),



or for what one selects, one gets. [The first law of biology according to
G. Hardin]




Portland Press Herald, ME - Commercial fishing might be causing
genetic changes in fish that swim in the ocean, making them smaller and
less fertile. . . However, the study also found that fish can grow larger
again if the big ones are allowed to get away. . . Efforts to bring back
the fish still include rules - such as minimum sizes and large-mesh nets
- that encourage fishermen to catch and kill the largest fish and spare
the smaller ones. That is sending the wrong message to the fish,
genetically speaking. . . Shrinking fish sizes also mean a population
reproduces at a slower rate, something that makes it more vulnerable to
natural pressures such as predation and less able to recover from
overfishing. . . Larger fish are generally much more fertile than smaller
ones.

bc thanks Sam Smith (UnderNews)