Fishing has driven evolution of smaller Alaskan salmon - environment - 07 June 2011 - New Scientist

Fishing has driven evolution of smaller Alaskan salmon - environment - 07 June 2011 - New Scientist

Since I love to fish this idea intrigues me greatly. It also seems at least likely that increased pressure on larger fish has caused these Salmon to decrease in size by some five percent in sixty or so years. Size is a heritable trait. But it also leads me to wonder what we mean when we say evolution in this case, especially if the size these fish now measure and the size they formerly measured are just part of the creatures possible range? Take the larger ones out of the pool and the species is what you're left with, but even this is evolution of a sort, but is not "evolution" in the context many would think of it, which is really more of a speciation.