Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, January 26, 2012
Bias: NOAA Admits Overestimating Fish Catch, Adopts New System
By Selected News Articles @ 11:30 PM :: 7527 Views :: Energy, Environment, National News, Ethics

New method of counting fish unveiled

by Kirk Moore, CentralJersey.com (excerpts)

After years of complaints from recreational fishermen that government catch data didn’t correspond with what was actually happening on the water, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced (NOAA) on Wednesday it has begun to use an improved method to estimate the amount of fish caught by saltwater anglers.

The new method, the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), is intended to take the place of the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS), a data collection program whose accuracy has long been called into question. MRFSS information has been the basis for the regulations that govern recreational catch limits, sizes and seasons.

Along with its announcement of the new method, NOAA also released recalculated estimates going back to 2004. In its release, the agency reported here were no overall trends in terms of size or direction of the new estimates — catch estimates for some species went up, some went down and others remained about the same.

One of the biggest confounding factors in the old MRFSS system was a bias from using mostly interviews from “high activity sites” – busy docks and fishing spots where MRFSS surveyors could most efficiently interview fishermen.

“High activity sites weighted heavily” in the calculations that went into the MRFSS estimates, said Eric Schwaab, the acting assistant secretary of commerce for conservation and management. “The scientists and the statisticians have gone back and rooted out a lot of that old bias.”

Relying on high activity sites for interviews appears to have been the biggest source of bias in the surveys, said Gordon Colvin, the MRIP manager, and a fisheries biologist who used to head New York State’s marine fisheries program.

According to NOAA fact sheets and revised data, it looks like using more interviews from the busiest locations had implications for skewing estimates on summer flounder, cod in the Gulf of Maine and striped bass on Long Island. Along with statistical compensations for that past bias, Colvin said the new MRIP methodology will look to use more information gathered at low-activity areas like surfcasting beaches….

In 2005-2006 the National Research Council examined the MRFSS methodology and found it wanting. Congress followed up by directing NOAA to overhaul the system.

It’s taken a long time to do the research, design a new system and submit it to peer review by independent scientists, Colvin said. Then the methodology had to be brought to bear for recalculating estimates for some 500 regional fish stocks, he said.

“In some cases these data will be significant enough to change a stock assessment,” Schwaab said. For most species the estimates will serve to guide management actions, he said….

To view comparisons of recreational catch estimates using the previous method and the revised method, go to: http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov.

read … New method of counting fish unveiled

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii