Letters

I fully recognize and appreciate the history and traditions of commercial and recreational fishing on the East End. Generations of fishermen, their families and community members are connected to the industry.

However, our oceans and the sea life within them are not infinite. We have turned a blind eye to the consequences of our behaviors.

When I think of the negative impact that commercial fishing has had, with respect to the depletion of the oceans’ inhabitants, I am reminded of Garrett Hardin’s 1968 article “The Tragedy of the Commons,” which argued that a shared public good (fish populations, for example) would be exploited because individual users (fishermen) would act contrary to the public good and exploit as many resources (fish) as they could.

There is literature from around the world clearly establishing that commercial fishing has contributed significantly to the declining number of ocean inhabitants, a tragedy of the commons mostly motivated by short-run profits, to the detriment of the oceans’ many forms of life. The industry has been accused of depleting both the intended catch (sea bass and tuna, for example) and the unintended catch, known as bycatch (dolphins and turtles, for example). Again, for decades, we didn’t know better — but now we are aware of how our past caught up with us and created worldwide devastation to our ecosystems.

I never thought too much about the commercial fishing tragedy of the commons until recently. A few weeks ago, I read an article authored locally about the new restrictions on striped bass catches in order “to rebuild dwindling stock,” because “striped bass are overfished.” A week later the same author wrote “that stripers remain in residence along the various ocean beaches. The cut at Georgica was opened a few days ago and the action was great right off the bat. Some keepers were taken as well. I hope it lasts.”

So much for stemming overfishing as soon as possible to help rebuild the striped bass population. This is an example of the tragedy of commons, ignoring the health of the common good (striped bass population) to benefit individual users (fishermen) in the short run. We can no longer afford to support this behavior.

The commercial fishing tragedy of the commons has been documented for decades, and its effects have been devastating, with respect to the populations of many of the oceans’ inhabitants. Yet the tragedy somehow continues around the world. When will we collectively act responsibly to end the tragedy?

Randy Johnston

East Hampton