Big fish catches mean smaller fish - Bangor scientists

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-21813736


Overfishing of larger fish is leading to smaller sized species - and fewer of them, say researchers

Scientists have warned that a fishing rethink is needed after finding that catches of big fish trigger a rapid change in the gene pool of fish stocks.

Researchers at Bangor University say they found that over-harvesting larger fish leads to a population of smaller fish that are less fertile.

The research suggest that the change happens within a few generations.

The scientists say the findings could have a massive impact for the future of global fishing policies.

[OnlinePoker]

1. I remember reading about this 5 or 10 years ago

The theory was we were causing evolution in the fish where fish that matured and were smaller were thrown back in the water. This then became the genetic stock that made it into the next generations and therefore the future generations would be smaller.

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2. The smaller fish had it coming.