RECREATIONAL anglers, fishing organizations as well as the outdoor media have been screaming for years that the National Marine Fisheries Service bases its regulations on bogus statistics. Now, an independent agency confirms the charge.

Last month, the National Research Council, a scientific body of the National Academy of Sciences, verified what we’ve all been yelling about, that the main data collection system for recreational anglers, the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistics Survey (MRFSS), has serious flaws in design or implementation and uses inadequate analysis methods that need to be addressed immediately.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance leaders, anglers and heads of other fishing organizations have insisted that the main method for sampling recreational anglers and determining their catch and effort was woefully inadequate for management and policy decisions.

The NRC found the design, sampling techniques and collection fatally flawed, failing to use current survey sampling theories or even taking the human dimension of fishing into consideration. These findings prompted a recommendation by the NRC for a complete redesign of the program.

“The recreational fishing community has been saying MRFSS is seriously flawed, and has submitted data to demonstrate that fact,” states Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of RFA. “The findings of the NRC report outline ways to improve the current data system that we have been advocating for years. We’re hopeful that these findings will lead to a major overhaul.”

ken.moran@nypost.com