In an example of doublethink worthy of George Orwell, many so-called “marine protected areas” permit some exploitation of their marine resources. Their food webs are so complex, however, that even a little exploitation may be too much.
A quarter of Europe’s red knots have died since 1998 because one of Europe’s supposedly protected coasts, in a word, wasn’t. The migrant seabirds stop off at intertidal mudflats, including the Wadden Sea off the Netherlands, to refuel on shellfish. The problem is that until 2004 two dozen cockle boats were allowed to dredge the Wadden too.
The boats didn’t make much money.…
