Extinction Begins with the Loss of Mothers
During my 2025 winter quarter at University of Washington, I took a class called Conservation and Management of Aquatic Resources. Through this class, I learned the ins and outs of fishery management and the delicate balance between nature, people, and management systems, also known as a social ecological system. Because of balance, many differing opinions arise within fishery management. This led to the creation of the opinion guest essay (op-ed) assignment.Â
This assignment was a New York Times style op-ed expressing our opinions of complex issues with many different perspectives. For mine, I focused on North Atlantic Right Whales and the debate between protecting the whales and protecting the fisheries. I took the stance of protecting the whales, specially reproductively active females, in order to assist in North Atlantic Right Whale recovery. Because this opinion negatively affects fisheries, I gave an alternate opinion of lined fishing, on-demand fishing which uses autistic signaling instead of fixed lines, to reduce the amount of whale entanglement and still provide the fisheries with a way to continue their way of life.
This assignment taught me about real world problems and the difficulties that arise when you pick a side to stand by. Management decisions are based on so many different factors and it is impossible to make everyone happy so making the best decision for the particular case scenario is crucial. I hope to bring this decision making and awareness of current political issues within marine science to all of my future careers.
Additional Resources for North Atlantic Right Whale Conservation