INTEGRITY IN SCIENCE

During the few first days of December 2011, I read two news items of interest to fishery science. Item 1: A discovery of dangerous virus in farmed salmon by a Canadian scientist has been depressed by her government bosses for ten years, and only now revealed. Item 2: NOAA, which is the U.S. Administration among other things in charge  of fisheries, just published its new policy regarding integrity in science. Its scientists may now publish their findings in general media and in peer-reviewed scientific journals, they may even talk to the media. All this without undue pressure and, of course, provided that they and not the administration are responsible for the fairness and accuracy of their statements. Etc., etc.

Interesting, what had been the situation at NOAA science, before the new policy was published? Hope, not as in Canada...