Twelve years ago, NOAA Fisheries contracted with the Ocean Studies Board at the National Research Council (NRC, now known as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine or NAS), to review and evaluate the various data collection programs managed or funded by the agency for monitoring marine recreational fisheries catch and effort in all regions of the United States. The NRC issued its report in 2006. To address the report’s recommendations, and the requirements of the 2007 Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act to improve recreational fisheries data collection methods, NOAA Fisheries established the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP).
NOAA Fisheries recently entered into a new contract with the Ocean Studies Board to conduct another independent expert review of MRIP. This review will provide an objective analysis of how well the agency has incorporated and acted on the recommendations in the NRC’s 2006 report.
The first report contained a number of specific recommendations to improve the way NOAA Fisheries and its state agency partners collect data and compile recreational fishing statistics. The MRIP team has worked diligently to address the recommendations. Many of the improvements to the agency’s survey methods have been guided by the initial NRC review.
Specific initiatives that NOAA Fisheries has implemented, based on the NRC recommendations, include the creation of the National Saltwater Angler Registry, the re-estimation of Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico recreational catch estimates dating back to 2004, the overhaul of an on-site angler intercept survey design to remove potential sources of bias, and the development and testing of a new mail-based Fishing Effort Survey to best estimate the numbers of shore and private boat fishing trips made by recreational fishing participants. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries is currently addressing how to improve methods for monitoring fishing effort and catch in the for-hire sector.
This new 18-month review, which began in September, 2015, will help ensure that NOAA’s recreational fisheries data collection efforts are meeting the needs of scientists, stock assessors, managers, and stakeholders. Based on this assessment, the committee will identify potential areas for improvements or changes of direction that could substantially increase data quality for fisheries management.
The Academies’ Ocean Studies Board has established a committee of independent experts to conduct the review. This committee will conduct four regional public meetings to obtain information relevant to the review. The first meeting will be held at the Keck Center (500 5th Street, NW, Washington, DC) on February 24 and 25. The other three meetings will be scheduled for the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts later this year. For more details on the scope of the review, attending the public meetings, and how to provide input, please visit the project website or contact Stacee Karras, associate program officer with the Academies’ Ocean Studies Board, at [email protected].
If you’ve got a question about MRIP that you’d like answered, please e-mail Leah Sharpe at [email protected]. To learn more about improvements MRIP is making, visit www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.
