Currently there is no requirement for recreational anglers to report their catch data, and this past winter’s fluke, black sea bass, blackfish and other related management shows that the current methodology for estimating the recreational harvest up and down the coast is flawed at best.
At every fisheries meeting that I have attended, and in my many conversations with local fishermen, inaccurate recreational catch data is one of the biggest gripes that local anglers have with how the fisheries are managed. Time and time again I remind anglers that they can assist in more accurate data, but it takes a bit of work on their part – well worth it in my opinion and reason why I have been completing a daily catch log for several years running. While some may look at this as another way for Big Brother to keep tabs on what we’re doing, I look at it as doing my part to assist in more accurate numbers and hopefully more realistic regulations.
If you’d like to assist in more accurate data collecting here in southern New England, please contact your local agency as noted below.
Massachusetts: No current recreational catch data collection system.
Rhode Island: Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System (SAFIS) contact RIDEM at 401-423-1926 or email Tom.Rosa@dem.ri.gov.
Connecticut: Volunteer Angler Survey (VAS) Program, contact David R. Molnar at 860-434-6043 or david.molnar@ct.gov.
New York: Electronic Reporting.
