Hunting and fishing can force rapid evolutionary changes
 

Anyone see this article that was all over the news yesterday??? Another study for the enviros to use to try and stop or change our hunting heritage or is there good truth to this and we need to change our ways?????

Hunting and fishing can force rapid evolutionary changes to animal traits such as reproductive age or horn size, a study has shown.
Human predators are accelerating such changes at a rate 300% higher than the pace seen in the natural world, say researchers.
Scientists analysed the results of 34 studies that tracked 29 species in a 40 specific geographic systems. Most focused on fish populations, but some looked at invertebrates such as limpets and snails, as well as bighorn sheep, caribou and two plant species. The results showed fishermen and game hunters were causing the creatures they pursued to undergo rapid, dramatic change.
Target populations were on average 20% smaller than previous generations, and the age at which they started to reproduce was 25% earlier.
Some changes were thought to represent genetic traits passed on from one generation to the next.
In some fisheries, for example, natural selection favoured smaller fish that could pass through the mesh of nets.
Those smaller individuals were more likely to survive, reproduce and pass their "smallness" genes onto offspring. In other cases, shifts to earlier reproduction could occur because of an abundance of food being shared by a smaller surviving population.
Ironically, some wildlife and fish management policies were contributing to the effects of human predation, said the researchers, whose findings are reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lead author Dr Chris Darimont, from the University of California at Santa Cruz, said: "Fishing regulations often prescribe the taking of larger fish, and the same often applies to hunting regulations. Hunters are instructed not to take smaller animals or those with smaller horns. This is counter to patterns of natural predation, and now we're seeing the consequences of this management."
In Alberta, Canada, hunters permitted to target the largest specimens of bighorn sheep had caused average horn length and body mass to drop by about 20% in the last 30 years, he said.

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/hunting+forces+rapid+change/2902367
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112201123.htm

RE: Hunting and fishing can force rapid evolutionary changes
 

Some of that may be true, but you also have to take into account that there are no natural predators for a lot of game species in many areas. If it wasn't for hunting they would be out of control. Deer populations are better than ever and many game species are thriving due to management tactics, brought about by sportsman.

The part about the nets seem to target commercial fishing. As for the taking of the larger specimens in the species, that is actually to control the number of fish taken and individually and even collectively, rod and reel anglers would be hard pressed to over fish or deplete a species within a large body of water (ex. oceans or large rivers). Lakes have creel limits, because they are trying to create an environment where you can go and catch fish regularly.

The part about the horns; i don't know how true that is. There will always be hunters who will hunt soley for trophy purposes and have no desire to harvest an animal for eating. It is certainly easier to bag a younger animal with smaller horns, and you see more of them because they are not as smart as the older animals with bigger horns. In my opinion as long as they do not let the rest of the animal go to waste once they have their trophy then they are fine.

The bottom line is and always will be that more good than bad comes from hunting and fishing. The only other option is to start killing people and abandon cities and towns and let nature take back over, but that is not going to happen.

RE: Hunting and fishing can force rapid evolutionary changes
 

Humans are part ofnature and will be until there are no more humans. This idea that humans are somehow above and apart from nature is silly. We are the dominant species on Earth at the moment, but that could change at any time. When it does nature will continue without looking back. Species evolve slowly or rapidly depending upon their environment. We are a pressure on some or most of the species on Earth which may speed up their adaptation. So what? Evolution will continue at some pace, fast or slow, and we are powerless to stop it. Enjoy the ride.

RE: Hunting and fishing can force rapid evolutionary changes
 

That is about as dumb as it gets, because typically for an animal to get big, it has to get old, therefore its already passed on its "big" traits to its young.

Dumb study, no credibility.

RE: Hunting and fishing can force rapid evolutionary changes
 

there are many possible reasons why their was "seen" evolutionary change outside the fact that we hunt/fish for them.....very open research and a crappy one at that..

i am calling BS on this research and results as posted above