The Mysterious Case of the Missing Cod Solved

The who-dun-it mystery of the disappearing cod of the 90s has finally been solved. And the culprit is... the Beaufort Gyre, thats right the Beaufort Gyre. Bloomberg reported here today that science has solved the mystery.

We've heard all the spectacles of dragging nets and fishing well over-quota. We've all heard blame being shifted onto those pesky Spaniards, Portuegese and British boats.

But now in the aftermath we learn this from Bloomberg:

A reversal of wind direction with a record drop in arctic air pressure pumped the water through the Canadian archipelago in the late 1980s and 1990s, according to a study in tomorrow's issue of the journal Science. The cold water helped spoil the cod habitat while improving conditions for snow crab and shrimp.

The cool water comes from a large body called the Beaufort Gyre, which borders the arctic ice shelf. Clockwise-turning winds build up water from rain and melting ice. About every 10 years, the wind direction reverses, dumping the Beaufort Gyre into the surrounding ocean. Increased rain and melt-off, possibly due to global warming, contributed to the record spill.

Sorry???? Huh???? By Beaufort Gyre do you mean evil Spaniard boats with big dragging nets? I'm befuddled - is nothing ever what it seems it is in this crazy complex eco-system of ours. So who exactly is the bad guy? Mother nature?

All this article has done is temporarily frustrate me and remind me of my hatred of the media and my hatred of environmental reporting. Its taken me back to the frustrating world of 'alarmists' vs 'denialists'. The 'denialists', 'skeptics' and 'moderates' will jump all over this tomorrow and say this is proof that all is not what it seems. The 'dirty hippies', 'greens' and 'progressives' will spin the science behind this article away and revert to the very large body of existing evidence that points back to overfishing and dragging nets. And I'll be confused with one more culprit on my list of potential murderers - dragging nets, dirty europeans, and now one Monsieur Beaufort Gyre.