BOSTON – A proposed nine-month delay of tough new fishing restrictions – seen as a fair concession by environmentalists – did little to mollify fishermen, who say it is not enough time to correct flaws in the science of counting fish.

“I just don’t believe in it anymore,” said Gloucester fisherman Russell Sherman. “I don’t think anyone does.”

The delay was proposed Tuesday by environmental groups and the federal government, which said more time is needed to evaluate a mistake scientists made collecting data used to measure fish stocks.

If the delay is approved by a federal judge, the new restrictions, called Amendment 13, would go into effect in May 2004 rather than August 2003.

The proposed delay comes as the New England Fisheries Management Council meets in Gloucester this week. Amendment 13 proposals, based in part on the controversial fishing data, are being laid out at that meeting.

Those proposals may not be the final word, as scientists continue to evaluate the effects of their error. Changes could be made if problems are found, either during any delay or before it.

But so far, scientists say the fishing data collected by the skewed net appears sound, which has only cemented opposition from fishermen convinced scientists are covering for the mistake.

“Certainly, there are some people who are not ever going to believe it,” said Teri Frady, spokeswoman for the National Marine Fisheries Service. “I hope they become at least persuaded it was thoroughly looked into.”

Scientists admitted that from winter 2000 to spring 2002, a survey boat used a mismarked cable that set the net at an angle. Fishermen said that would allow fish to escape, leading to undercounted populations and tighter than necessary restrictions.

The issue of overfishing first came before the federal court after environmental groups won a suit claiming the government was ignoring a mandate to stop overfishing.

Eric Bilsky, senior attorney with the environmental group Oceana, said the evidence is overwhelming that the government’s fish estimates are solid, and the proposed delay will give fishermen time to see that.

“I’m confident if they’re acting in good faith, they’ll understand we do have a scientific basis for proceeding with Amendment 13,” Bilsky said.

“The only thing we’ve got at our disposal is the truth,” he said. “We’ve got to hope people care about the truth.”

Sherman objected to the idea fishermen just need more time to see the facts clearly.

“Apparently, they feel this is a point where they can give us crumbs and we’ll be nice boys and go away,” he said.

Hank Lackner, a Montauk, N.Y., fisherman, said an extra nine months isn’t enough to fix the government boats, which he said are so inefficient that they’re useless for sampling fish.

Attorney Steve Ouellette of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, an industry group, said government study needs to expand past the fishing mistake, all the way to areas such as the socioeconomic effects of Amendment 13 on fishing communities. An extra nine months isn’t enough time, he said.

He added he doubts the government is serious about listening to fishermen during that period and called the proposed delay “terrible news” because it will just postpone real rebuilding of stocks.

Frady said some fishermen are teaming up with researchers, and cooperative efforts have worked in the past. She said the fisheries agency welcomes help from fishermen now and during any delay of Amendment 13.

“Nobody has a larger interest in resolving this particular issue than we do,” she said. “This really strikes at the credibility of what we do as scientists.”