Heating up on new fees

[Smalls]

Sometimes I wish these guys would give their names. If this is someone like Mike Harbison, who I think just retired, that would be a HUGE blow to this thing. He's one if the most respected biologists in the state. That's the kind of voice that LDWF and CCA would not want opposed to this.

I could be wrong though. No telling who it is. Not sure if Mike did retire or not, but I thought I heard he may be.

[MathGeek]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Sometimes I wish these guys would give their names. If this is someone like Mike Harbison, who I think just retired, that would be a HUGE blow to this thing. He's one if the most respected biologists in the state. That's the kind of voice that LDWF and CCA would not want opposed to this.

I could be wrong though. No telling who it is. Not sure if Mike did retire or not, but I thought I heard he may be.

Scientists and bureaucrats can be pretty harsh when someone speaks and and doesn't toe the party line, especially with funding issues or sacred cows (environmental issues). I've had a long career, with mostly positive feedback from colleagues and administrators. But a couple of times the data just did not support the party line, and I was not quiet about it. I ended up with a bulls eye on my chest, so I understand the desire for anonymity.

Especially in the present case. This brave biologist is basically a whistle blower, calling out LDWF for poor planning and wasteful spending and giving testimony that might cost them millions in funding for "research." My name is firmly attached to all my published papers, including some material that has contradicted the "received wisdom" on some things. But seeing how Louisiana bureaucracies play this game, I think this biologist would likely be shunned from future research opportunities and would be panned in any grant proposals and a lot of peer-reviewers would dis his papers just for this move. He'd certainly be cited for possessing redfish past 3 miles.