Numbers dropping off???

[Semjase]

>Subject: Numbers dropping off???
>From: gochfeld at EOHSI.RUTGERS.EDU (Michael Gochfeld)
>Date: 6/9/99 4:46 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <990609063056.ZM3590 at Gochfeld>
>
>I am puzzled by the following phrase: "... but there does not seem to be 
>a significant effect on most butterfly populations....."
>
>How in the world do we know that.  There are virtually no studies of 
>butterfly populations or population dynamics to my knowledge. 
>
>I agree that habitat destruction (and perhaps global climate) are bigger 
>factors, but in an environment already degraded and diminishing rapidly, 
>what might have been "sustainable exploitation" could easily become 
>"fatal overexploitation".   
>
>So I don't think we know enough to exonerate commercial collecting."
>
>M Gochfeld

Well since we have people claiming that over predation by birds is reducing
population numbers would not heavy collecting (in some cases not even heavy) be
the same as over predation?

S.