Letters, Nov. 12, 2015: Anchovy population has not collapsed
Anchovy population has not collapsed
I’ve been fishing in Monterey and along the West Coast for more than 30 years and I’m one of only about eight fishermen who fish anchovy in Monterey Bay. I’m shocked at the recent outcry in the media that claims the anchovy population has collapsed!
Environmentalists who are calling for the immediate closure of our local anchovy fishery are basing their claims on a flawed study that deliberately omits data from recent years showing a huge upswing in the anchovy population.
Our sonars mark schools that are hundreds of feet thick, but our nets just skim the surface of these schools. Fishermen up and down the coast are seeing the same thing: anchovies are everywhere.
It’s time to stop pointing fingers at fishermen and get out and see what’s really going on in the ocean.
— Tom Noto, Salinas
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