![]() McClenachan’s work is a pivotal example of shifting baselines. The loss of top predators in the Florida Keys stems from chronic overfishing of the most desired, or largest fish, and Dr. McClenachan found that the cost of fishing trips did not decrease, meaning customers paid approximately the same price for a ~20 kg trophy fish as they do for a ~2 kg trophy fish now, some 50 years later.Ī case of shifting baseline syndrome: where did all the fish go? ![]() Historically, catches were dominated by large sharks and goliath groupers, but today, the catches are almost exclusively small snappers. ![]() She found a major shift in species composition across reef communities through time, with larger predatory fish being fished first, followed by a steep decline in the sizes and weights of fish caught more recently. McClenachan used photographs taken between 19 to document the loss of the large trophy fish in the Florida Keys, and compared them with photographs that she took in 2007. ![]() (Photos: Monroe County Public Library and McClenachan) A picture is worth a thousand words data pointsĭr. Trophy fish caught on Key West charter boats: (top to bottom) 1957, early 1980s, 2007.
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