[adr1an]

I remember Ecology lectures, starting from Lotka-Volterra model... And getting into more complex scenarios. One, was an actual model of how much fishes the industry can predate while guaranteeing the sustainability of their biz. Of course, it only happens in books. Sadly, the seas are largely unregulated.. Or even if regulations are in place, enforcing is so difficult. In fact, it can very easily turn into conflict between nations.

[bobby_bbb]

IIRC, most of the models were predicated on, how can we sustain THIS small ecology in this spot with this type of fish so as to cause no change. But I'd argue that we change everything, and change isn't a bad thing by itself, and so if we go beyond the models - say, to the point of a cod fishery depletion - it becomes much like decrying an erosive path in a huge desert - fighting for stasis merely for the sake of stasis. The cod no longer congregate in this one area, but they're still out there in others and new species can easily swoop in (and will because the cods' energy sources are still there.)

We'll never be no-impact (at least until the asteroid hits.) But so long as we're not poisoning life away, we're just another niche species on the ocean.