So thank goodness for Dr. Boris Worm, whose latest study puts the old pro-verb right again, at least in part. Last year Worm wentlooking for “serengetis”– areas of the ocean where large predators might congregate, as they do on the African savannah. And he found them in our own subtropical backyard. According to a report released last week, “hot spots” off the coasts of Florida, Hawaii and Australia are still teeming with turtles, sharks and large open-ocean fish like tuna–almost all of them endangered. Like rain forests, these previously uncharted regions are hugely diverse. Closing them to commercial fishing might be our best shot at saving their denizens. It’s a measure even fishermen can support, since the hot spots aren’t home to many popular market fish (except tuna). What they do have is something fishermen don’t like, says Worm–“nasty by-catch.” In other words, the very animals we’re trying to save.
