Unintended Consequences in Tuna Fishing

In the 1980’s, fishermen trawling for tuna killed tens of thousands of dolphins each year, scooping them up as “bycatch” in their nets. A public backlash spurred development of a “dolphin safe” fishing method — which, while great for dolphins, turns out to be a catastrophe for sharks, sea turtles, mahi-mahi, and other sea creatures, many of them endangered. Dolphin-safe fishing is also a less ecologically sustainable way to harvest tuna stocks. The Southern Fried Science blog has the grisly details, showing that eco-reform, like everything else, is beholden to the law of unintended consequences. [%comments]