The National Marine Fisheries Service report on commercial fishing revenues — hailing an increase in gross revenues as a sign that its new regulatory system is helping fishermen, even it fails to account for a penny of fishermen's increased costs — might be considered laughable if it weren't so painfully obvious that it's no mistake.

After all, in his report summary, NMFS chief Eric Schwaab, the former Maryland fish and gamer who's now caddy to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator Jane Lubchenco, failed to even note a disclaimer in his own report — that the preliminary figures showing purported revenue gains over nine months of fishing under the catch shares format did not include any expense data that can shed light on fishermen's net revenues at all.