-Caveat Lector- NY TIMES July 29, 2001 Coastal Ills Said to Have Roots in Prehistory By REUTERS ASHINGTON, July 28 - The depleted state of many coastal ecosystems has its roots not so much in pollution or other current destructive practices but in over harvesting of marine resources dating back hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of years, a new scientific study has found. Writing in the journal Science, 19 researchers documented the long- term effects of overfishing and the hunting of marine mammals, showing how it helped damage coastal marine ecosystems. "It's kind of a wake-up call," said Jeremy Jackson, an oceanographer and the lead author of the study. Mr. Jackson, who is affiliated with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., said: "If one is going to think about conservation of the oceans, it's obviously important to have some realistic notion of the ways things used to be and what we've lost. It's really hard to make plans or develop policy and alternatives if you don't have a sense of that." Overfishing and the hunting of species to the brink of extinction continue to this day, the study said. Some animals, including types of seals and sea cows, have been exterminated, and many others survive in greatly reduced numbers. "The main message is that the present marine ecosystem collapses that we are witnessing now and in the last couple of decades result from early - and in some cases even prehistoric - overfishing," said Karen Bjorndal, director of the Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at he University of Florida and another author of the study. "And although we have a tendency to look for recent causes for recent events, and there's been tremendous emphasis placed on very important things like pollution and global warming, what we really need to do is trace further back to get a better historical perspective so that we really understand the true causes of the collapse," Ms. Bjorndal said in an interview. The researchers examined coastal ecosystems around the globe, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean to Australia's coastal waters. They used marine sediments dating back 125,000 years, archaeological records from coastal settlements occupied in the last 10,000 years, records from the European colonial expansion in the Americas and South Pacific starting in the 15th century, and ecological studies from the past century. The damage predated modern pollution and fishing and began thousands of years ago as humans exploited resources in coastal waters. People became adept at eliminating the top link in the marine food chain - sharks, turtles, whales and the largest fish species - the study found. As those species declined, smaller species were eliminated, including oysters capable of filtering water and controlling algae by grazing. The study said that whales, manatees, sea cows, monk seals, crocodiles, codfish, jewfish, swordfish, sharks, rays and other species are now gone from most coastal environments, either extinct or absent from their former range. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
