- Joined
- Nov 19, 2002
- Messages
- 4,674
Bald Evil said:I was under the impression that we had to at least have a vague idea of how many of something there were before they could be considered endangered!
This is a point that is often raised when I start thumping my fist down on tables. Is it really necessary to know exactly how many, or a ballpark figure of how many there are before concern is raised about a species welfare?
We don't know where Architeuthis resides for most of its life; all we do know is that the adults and larvae occur in New Zealand waters. The same applies everywhere else (at least for the adults). So, we don't know much. However, what we do know is that the adults are mercilessly slaughtered in trawlers nets, whether they have or have not had an opportunity to mate and release egg masses.
We also know that the egg masses will be > than 2 metres in diameter, and that they will be spherical and probably float at a depth of ~ 30 metres.
We also know that the egg masses are extremely susceptable to damage, and that once damaged the individual eggs will become little more than fish fodder.
So, the adult squid are being caught while they're breeding; the egg masses of those animals that are not caught in nets stand an excellent chance of being hammered by the trawlers nets.
... and the outcome, common sense, is that the species is threatened. Just 'how threatened' it is I do not know - and I don't think it is important if it is threatened (whatever an index of 'threatened' may be) 99%, 90%, 75%, 50%, 10% or 5%. Exactly when do we start taking notice ... when the species is 50% 'threatened' or 95% 'threatened'. Do we sit back and see whether the number of animals caught in nets declines ... because if it does then it is already too late.
Thump your fists on the table now and scream ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
... sorry for my little tirade; I'm not picking on you bald evil (ooops, bald eagle), but numbers are not our friends; it doesn't matter whether there's 900,000 or 1000 Architeuthis left (and we'll never know) ... I've just seen too many 'common' species vanish, and people's complacency is the killer, because they all want a 'number' before they act.
I can promise you, 10 years from now all of those sandle-wearing, tree-hugging conservationists will be able to say "I told you so", but that's not what drives them - they would sooner say "I'm sorry, false alarm", but I simply do not see that happening.
Cheers
O