Tholepin Blog has NMFS on the Defensive! – They say you’re not credible, when even they can’t get it right?
“Tholepin is not a credible source,” she wrote. The blogger was, at the time, quoting the federal agency’s own figures for numbers on bycatch. (Julie)Speegle NOAA, subsequently warned “I usually urge (use of) our standard statement ‘Catch numbers may change as more information becomes available’ because the data will likely change.” And in subsequent emails with Speegle, it did turn out that Tholepin’s report of “228,800 pounds of halibut wasted by draggers just last week” was wrong. It was under-reported by 478 pounds. The actual quantity was 229,278 pounds. more@alaskadispatch 22:45
Throwing some fish to “Spot” and his friends is a tradition that pre-dates the Marine Mammal protection act. None of that fish goes to waste and it is a “Donation” to a “Charitable Cause.” If those sea lions were able to speak I am more than certain they would assert their rights to any and all fish that may or may not be fit for human consumption that would normally be discarded. Their service to the harbor in keeping it cleaner more than warrants this compensation. As for the discrepancy in the bloggers numbers 478 pounds is more than likely within the federal governments margin for error and it is very likely those numbers would not have been published without the blogger’s help.