Which Came First, the Conclusion or the Grant?

A Duke University professor has a conclusion that could save more than a million dollars on research.

After accepting a $1.2 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to perform a study on the longline fishery, Dr. Larry Crowder explained to North Carolina newspaper, the Carteret News-Times, that the fishery is destructive.

"The recent and rapidly expanding fishery is inherently nonselective and, in some cases, has replaced much more selective fishing methods such as harpoons for swordfish," Crowder told the publication. "In other words, the gear inadvertently kills both juvenile target species and non-target species, such as sea turtles, sea birds, marine mammals and other fish."

Given that Crowder already had a conclusion without so much as beginning research, NCFA President Jerry Schill contacted the professor by Email to see what would become of the grant money.

In response to Schill's inquiry, Crowder insisted that he had not come to any premature conclusions and that his study will be conducted without bias.