Sam Parisi asks, How Accurate is NOAA and NOAA Fishery Survey Science?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
NILS STOLPE: The New England groundfish debacle (Part IV): Is cutting back harvest really the answer?
While it’s a fact that’s hardly ever acknowledged, the assumption in fisheries management is that if the population of a stock of fish isn’t at some arbitrary level, it’s because of too much fishing. Hence the term “overfished.” Hence the mandated knee jerk reaction of the fisheries managers to not enough fish; cut back on fishing. What of other factors? They don’t count. It’s all about fishing, because fishing is all that the managers can control; it’s their Maslow’s Hammer. When it comes to the oceans it seems as if it’s about all that the industry connected mega-foundations that support the anti-fishing ENGOs with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in “donations” are interested in controlling. Read the article here
Sam points out one part of the problem for fishermen – that the stock surveys do not accurately reflect the actual populations as observed by fishermen. Perhaps even worse, because of species migration, surveys are not being performed at all and quotas not assigned to the fish now showing up in New England.
Rather than being required to compare their surveys with other “independent scientific” surveys, how about the Act be amended to require that NOAA correlate their surveys projections with the actual observations by fishermen and women at sea, for which they are being asked to pay the cost.
Dave Sullivan
Gloucester MA
Couldn’t agree more I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a green “observer” come on the boat and just fill out random information just to get through the trip. I would also like to suggest that their screening and training of these “observers” be more rigorous and reqire actual fishing experience. If we are paying for these observations captains should be able to interview said “observer” to find out if they actually qualify for the job.
Amen these children get on my boat and have zero clue zero
Please do everything in your power to stop the unchecked and improperly balanced power of NOAA. They do not protect our Ocean. Their only $cience is the one that perpetuates this green scam. You have my help in any way that can possibly work to change this looming outcome of OSW. We fight everyday here in NJ trying to stop this madness. Thank you. MaryBeth Feeney. marybethpetroski@gmail.com
Look I am forced too take observers on my boat they are undertrained children in most cases that have zero clue what they are doing recording inaccurate data they bring scales they get online that don’t cost ten dollars they measure lengths of fish with a tailors tape also very inaccurate the “estimate” damn near 85% of it and why is the guess of some one who hasn’t been handling fish for a year used as a science that damns my lively hood I had one guy ask me how to tell the difference in sex of a fish um eggs or seamen Sherlock I’ve watched these fools struggle on my boat every year sometimes 3times a yr and I’m forced to take them….. I think they create fish crisis in stocks on the data because if there is no crisis there is no need for them doing away with the crappy science and their jobs…. Noaa is and always will be a joke