US Fisheries at Grave Risk if Government Stifles Science Data (Editorial)   SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Editorial Opinion] by John Sackton - January 30, 2017 Those who know me have no doubt that my personal political opinions reflect more Massachusetts and California than Texas and Louisiana.  But in an industry that has a diverse range of political views, there has always been common ground when it comes to the business of fish. We all support profitable and healthy fish companies; we support use of our seafood resources for food and encourage maximum sustainable production, and we support business accountability, accurate labeling, sustainability, and compliance with labor laws. And most importantly, to get these things we support sound fisheries science. The genius of the fishery management system in place since the passage of the original 200 mile limit and the Magnuson Act in 1976 has been the commitment to make fisheries decisions based on sound science. The regional management councils were set up to allow conflict: various fisheries stakeholders will not agree about gear, allocation, seasons, quota shares, observers or many other features of a modern fishery management and enforcement system.  But all agree on one thing, as required by law:  decisions must be made in accordance with the best scientific advice and the councils cannot legally overrule peer reviewed formal scientific conclusions. 
We have two stories today, one from Canada, and one from Seattle, about the impacts of government suppression...