Recreational Data Program

This recreational component provides for the NOAA Fisheries Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) dockside surveys in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Puerto Rico for shore, for-hire, and private modes. MRIP was created through a review and some adjustments to the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, or MRFSS, which has been in place since the 1970s. MRIP is designed to meet two critical needs:

1. Provide detailed, timely, and scientifically sound estimates that fisheries managers, stock assessors and marine scientists need to ensure the sustainability of ocean resources.

2. Address stakeholder concerns about the reliability and credibility of recreational fishing catch and effort estimates.

The Commission has provided coordination of the dockside angler surveys for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida since 1998 and is also responsible for converting data into an electronic format and providing quality control methods prior to delivering data to NOAA Fisheries. These dockside survey data are used to estimate angler catch rates using MRIP methodology. The states also conduct weekly telephone calls to charter boat captains in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida to obtain estimates of charter boat fishing effort. NOAA Fisheries uses this survey data to produce expanded estimates of catch, landings, and effort.

The implementation of MRIP is still ongoing and is not fully developed at this time. In the past, there has been an emphasis on testing new methodologies and there is a need to implement these methods so real improvement of the data can be realized. Several major changes in program design have been implemented that are improving the accuracy of recreational fishery landings estimates. Landings from 2004-2012 have been re-estimated using new modeling techniques that will provide stock assessment scientists with better and more accurate numbers. MRIP is beginning to utilize data from state angler license databases to make effort surveys more efficient in contacting marine recreational anglers. Additional research is ongoing and will test new data collection tools (such as iSnapper) that could improve the timeliness and accuracy of data using online or electronic reporting instruments.

Innovative tools like iSnapper can potentially improve the timeliness of the data but also involve the fishing community which creates buy-in to the process. It is important to note that while these tools can be useful, the underlining collection methods need to be statistically-valid in order to make the data useable. These changes, and additional ongoing research, have laid the foundation for further recreational survey enhancements in the coming months and years.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) also collects data from the recreational fishery in coastal inshore and Gulf waters. TPWD has been collecting data from shore anglers and private boat anglers since 1974 using a dockside angler interview survey. TPWD has been collecting data from the for-hire fleet since 1983. TPWD collects similar landings data for key management species, like MRIP, with the only major difference being TPWD does not collect data on discarded catch. Data from TPWD recreational surveys are provided annually to NOAA Fisheries and are used along with the MRIP data for fishery management decisions in Gulf waters.