Shark overfishing may lead to scallop losses.

• Author: Herro, Alana
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Technical report

Aggressive fishing of large sharks in the northwest Atlantic may be causing decimation of the bay scallop fishery along the U.S. eastern seaboard, according to marine scientists. In a study published in the March 30 issue of Science, researchers from the United States and Canada report that as hammerheads, duskies, and other sharks are over-harvested for their meat and fins, this has allowed their prey-in particular the cownose ray--to thrive and deplete scallop numbers.

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The rays ravish scallop beds during their annual southward migration, says Pete Peterson, a marine biologist at the University of North Carolina and one of the study's authors. They do so before the scallops reproduce, creating a cycle that is not sustainable. Peterson also notes that the cownose ray is just one of a dozen mid-level marine species whose...