"In conducting stock assessments, NOAA Fisheries is using recreational harvest data deemed fatally flawed and woefully inaccurate by the National Academy of Sciences, which is exactly why Congress told them to stop using MRFSS as of 2009," said Jim Donofrio, RFA's executive director. "Whether it's sea bass, red snapper or fluke, annual or semi-annual stock assessments don't mean squat when you're using illicit data and questionable models."
"Five years is long enough to wait for Congress to react, so if they're not coming to us then it looks like we'll be heading back to see them this winter," he added.
Rep. Steve Southerland (R-FL)[/URL] who also took NOAA to task at the recent hearing. "We have people sitting at the dock can't catch red snapper because the stock assessments and the data that NOAA's been using is flawed, we're literally tripping over red snapper, tripping over them" Donofrio said.
While the MAFMC is in the process of scheduling meetings with the science and statistical committees to review the information before their December meetings, independent scientists including
Brian Rothschild and Mark Maunder have openly challenged the data used by NOAA scientists in their assessments models.[/COLOR][/FONT]
"There are scientists in the field who have critical data with regard to summer flounder to challenge the government's unreasonable findings, but the only way to shake some sense into this government bureaucracy is through an act of Congress," Donofrio said. "Without a new benchmark assessment or peer review of the government data, there's no way for individual anglers and independent scientists to challenge the data," he said.
Originally Posted by finchaser
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