In mid-February during the Miami Boat Show, NOAA Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs announced a new state-led partnership to improve fisheries data collection at the federal level. This new collaboration, known as the Recreational Angler Partnership Improvement Directive (RAPID), will invite states to co-design a replacement for Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP).
“Our goal is to increase data precision, usability, and credibility to ensure both the sustainability of our fisheries and continued access for the angling community,” explained NOAA Fisheries recreational fisheries liaison Russ Dunn, adding “We recognize that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model is not effective; RAPID is designed to be regional, flexible, and state-led.
Dunn said key pillars of the announcement include a 30% increase (~$2.5 million) in funding for state sampling, the first major influx of recreational data funding since 2020; an improved Fishing Effort Survey (FES) component to improve recreational fishing effort estimates; and active engagement with stakeholders through a series of RAPID workshops.
“The success of RAPID depends on active engagement from our partners and the fishing community,” Dunn noted.
Through the new RAPID program, NOAA Fisheries said they’re moving away from the traditional Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) toward what it calls a “partnership-driven framework.”
MRIP was created as a recreational data collection method, replacing the previous Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS). MRFSS was ultimately replaced by MRIP following a 2006 study by the National Academy of Sciences and its National Research Council (NRC) that found the old survey method to have “serious flaws in design or implementation and use inadequate analysis methods that need to be addressed immediately.”
Dr. Patrick Sullivan, the NRC committee chair at the time, referred to MRFSS specifically as “fatally flawed” and the NRC findings ultimately led to a mandate by Congress that a new survey methodology be implemented by NOAA Fisheries.
As to whether or not RAPID was now replacing MRIP, Dunn said not exactly. “RAPID is the process to jointly create the next iteration of the state-fed data collection and analysis system and not the system itself,” he said, adding “Currently, we are working to finish framing out the components of RAPID – such as planning a series of regional workshops – to understand state and regional capabilities, needs and priorities, etc.”
NOAA Fisheries is hosting a Mid-Atlantic recreational fisheries constituent roundtable on March 31, 2026. The event will take place via webinar. For additional information contact Travis Ford at travis.ford@noaa.gov or 978-281-9233.
