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A comment on Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They've Solved Mystery. Parent comment

Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by p1necone on Saturday July 05, 2025 @07:21PM (#44476346)
Presumably the optimal size for survival when humans aren't applying pressure via fishing is bigger. Perhaps "ruining" is hyperbolic, but this is making the fish less fit for their environment.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by kbutler on Saturday July 05, 2025 @08:48PM (#44476804)
...less fit for their environment excluding human fishing pressure.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by tzs on Saturday July 05, 2025 @09:05PM (#44476886)
It is making them less fit for their environment? I can see how it is making them less fit for the environment they used to be in before they were subject to large scale human fishing, but that's not their environment now.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by mattmaroon on Saturday July 05, 2025 @11:05PM (#44477487)
If that’s the case it should return if we stopped fishing.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by heavyset_go on Sunday July 06, 2025 @12:37AM (#44477881)
Not always the case. Any number of things can happen that could prevent that from happening, like extinction, as an extreme example.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by thoroughburro on Sunday July 06, 2025 @08:01AM (#44479974)
No. A certain gene expression can just be gone forever. Nothing guarantees the desired expression will evolve again.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by mattmaroon on Sunday July 06, 2025 @10:48AM (#44481234)
Sure it does, there is still variation in the sizing of them. If the previous size was the ideal one, and assuming that has otherwise not changed, the larger cod will be more fit and breed more.
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by kwk1 on Sunday July 06, 2025 @06:15PM (#44484582)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteresis
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Re:Cod Have Been Shrinking for Decades, Scientists Say They'... by Scarblac on Sunday July 06, 2025 @03:55AM (#44478706)
Their environment is one where humans prey on them, especially on the large ones. It's a selection pressure like any other and becoming smaller on average makes them more fit for that environment.
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