Yesterday, from Seafood.com News:
Scientists are criss-crossing the Irish Sea on ferries, counting stinger jellyfish which are blamed for wiping out salmon stocks...Scientists suspect global warming is the principal cause of the jellyfish shoals...The Natural Environment Research Council has given an emergency grant of [$100,000] to launch a study of the jellyfish.
Recall that smack of jellies that killed all 100,000 fish in an Irish Sea salmon farm. But hold up. What's this about "salmon stocks"? The reporter is saying a bunch of salmon trapped in cages with no escape from stinging jellies is a "stock"? Fish farms being confused with wild fish "stocks", profusions of stinging jellies, and warmer waters. All just part of ever shifting baselines
Salmon cages: Home to new "stocks" of salmon
Comments
Your point is well made! A fish in a cage may have no escape but one free in the water would seem to have lots of avenues of escape. I guess the study will reveal if they might consider changing the verbiage. Dave Briggs :~)
Posted by: Dave Briggs | January 17, 2008 7:17 AM
Just somebody playing with the language, obviously.
Farmed fish are more or less "aquatic cattle", right? And cattle are kept in a "stockyard", right? Therefore, farmed salmon must be "stock".
(Not saying I agree with their choice of words, just that the use of the word stock in the sense of "inventory" [of "cattle"] is at least parseable...)
Posted by: SMC | January 17, 2008 7:36 AM
Unfortunately the use of the term "stock" is all too relevant in some cases. Atlantic salmon that have escaped from open net farms have been observed spawning in Pacific streams. Yikes.
Posted by: Lucas Brotz | January 17, 2008 1:03 PM