Why fisheries scientists and fish harvesters view cod stocks in dramatically different ways

CBC Newfoundland Morning

Fisheries science can be a little bit like an optical illusion. In the United States, scientists see Gulf of Maine cod stocks at dangerously-low levels, while harvesters see a dramatic recovery. The two points of view are important in developing fisheries policy, but when they diverge so sharply it's a lot harder to make sensible rules. Micah Dean is a senior marine biologist with the government of Massachusetts, and he spoke with CBC's Leigh Anne Power.