There is a vociferous debate going on in North Carolina right now between commercial fishermen and sports fishermen. Due to a highly funded lobbying campaign the sports fishermen are winning. They are the ones who fish as a hobby. Commercial fishermen are the traditional mainstay of the industry that provides seafood for fish markets. The current issue is explained in a recent article posted here on House Bill 353.
At the heart of HB 353 is an argument that certain species of fish are becoming endangered. That argument is based on data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That the same bunch that each year issues hurricane projections which are notoriously inaccurate.
But the NOAA just acknowledged that the numbers that have been used are not valid or reliable but the new model appears to also be seriously flawed.
Read the complete story from The Beaufort Observer.