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Managed Annihilation: An Unnatural History of the Newfoundland Cod Collapse
The commercial cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador was once the most successful in the world. When it collapsed in 1992 - causing the largest single-day layoff in Canadian history and irrevocable ecological damage - fishermen, scholars, and scientists pointed to failures in management such as uncontrolled harvesting and not taking fishermen’s concerns into account as likely culprits.
Examining the history of commercial cod fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador from the mid-nineteenth century to the aftermath of the cod moratorium, Managed Annihilation makes the case that the idea of natural resource management was itself the problem. The collapse occurred when the fisheries were ostensibly managed by the state, and the fishery has still not recovered nearly twenty years later. Although the collapse of northern cod raised doubts among policy-makers about their ability to understand, predict, and control nature, their ultimate goal of control through management has not wavered - it has simply been transferred from wild fish to fishermen and farmed cod.
Examining the history of commercial cod fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador from the mid-nineteenth century to the aftermath of the cod moratorium, Managed Annihilation makes the case that the idea of natural resource management was itself the problem. The collapse occurred when the fisheries were ostensibly managed by the state, and the fishery has still not recovered nearly twenty years later. Although the collapse of northern cod raised doubts among policy-makers about their ability to understand, predict, and control nature, their ultimate goal of control through management has not wavered - it has simply been transferred from wild fish to fishermen and farmed cod.
- GenresHistory
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 23, 2020
Bavington tells a familiar story of the anthropocene: rather than understand cod as embedded in
larger biophysical systems, the collapse of the Newfoundland Cod fishery led fishery managers to the heights of techno-arrogance. This logic transformed fishing communities into labor pools, fish into discrete commodities, enclosed the fishery commons, and threatens to reduce cod to a transgenic form of intellectual property.
This book is intended for an academic audience well versed in both the history of fishery ecology and management theory.
larger biophysical systems, the collapse of the Newfoundland Cod fishery led fishery managers to the heights of techno-arrogance. This logic transformed fishing communities into labor pools, fish into discrete commodities, enclosed the fishery commons, and threatens to reduce cod to a transgenic form of intellectual property.
This book is intended for an academic audience well versed in both the history of fishery ecology and management theory.
July 20, 2020
It's not very long, fortunately, but only read it if you like extended academic papers.
September 10, 2016
A must read for anyone who wants to understand the events surrounding the July 2nd, 1992 moratorium.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews