For-Hire Survey At-a-Glance
NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program administers a national network of recreational fishing surveys. The For-Hire Survey gathers information about for-hire fishing activity (effort) from captains along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Recreational catch and effort data collected from recreational anglers and for-hire captains is combined with commercial, biological, and observer data to inform stock assessments and fisheries management decisions that aim to achieve sustainable fisheries and fishing opportunities into the future.
Different data collection programs gather different types of information about for-hire fishing activity. Taken together, these complementary programs provide a more complete picture of for-hire fishing than any single one could.
Our value as part of the recreational fishing data collection partnership is to produce year-to-year and long-term recreational fishing trends (patterns in fishing activity) covering many species, which is critical to inform stock assessments. NOAA Fisheries has also been supporting the development, certification, and implementation of supplemental and primary state-led data collection programs in the Gulf. These surveys are designed to produce more timely and precise recreational fishing estimates for certain species at the regional level like red snapper, which is beneficial for in-season management purposes.
How does NOAA Fisheries collect information about for-hire fishing activity?
For-Hire Survey
NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program administers the For-Hire Survey, also known as the For-Hire Telephone Survey, to collect information about fishing activity from for-hire captains along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The For-Hire Survey is conducted by state agency staff, who call a random sample of for-hire vessel operators each week.
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All For-Hire Survey respondents are asked to report their vessels’ fishing activity during the previous week and to recount details from each trip, including the:
- Number of vessel trips with paying passengers taken that week
- Number of anglers that fished from the vessel on each trip
- Hours, area, and in some states, method fished (e.g., casting, drifting, trolling)
- Species targeted
The resulting data are used to estimate the number of angler trips taken from for-hire vessels. These for-hire effort estimates are paired with the for-hire catch-per-trip estimates we derive from our dockside angler intercept survey to estimate total for-hire catch.
Click on the regionally tailored infographics below to learn more about for-hire data collection in the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, as well as view additional Q&As. This includes the For-Hire Survey, as well as other methods, such as:
Additional For-Hire Data Collection Programs
- Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Landings Reports
- Large Pelagics Survey
- Greater Atlantic Electronic Vessel Trip Reports
- Southeast For-Hire Integrated Electronic Reporting (SEFHIER) Program
- Southeast Region Headboat Survey
Why are selected for-hire customers rather than the captain or crew interviewed about their catch after returning from a fishing trip even if no fish were caught?
We interview each angler on a fishing trip to maintain consistency and comparability of our estimates of the number of fish caught per trip per angler across for-hire, shore, and private boat modes. Our sample needs to be representative of all saltwater fishing trips, regardless of how many fish, if any, were caught. If we only interviewed anglers who caught fish, our catch estimates would be biased high.
How does NOAA Fisheries determine the difference between a charter boat and a headboat?
Vessel size, inspection requirements, fee structure, and angler experience are all factors that may be used to distinguish charter boats from headboats. However, within the context of recreational fishing data collection, anticipated fishing activity is the most important factor that separates the two vessel types. Grouping vessels based on patterns in and levels of fishing effort—and sampling the catch of the two groups differently—reduces the potential for bias and improves the precision of our catch and effort estimates. The Marine Recreational Information Program defines charter boats and headboats as follows:
- Charter boats are vessels that take a group of anglers—usually six or fewer—on a fishing trip with a licensed captain and crew. The anglers hire, or “charter,” the vessel, and pay a fee for the captain’s services. Charter boats engage in a full range of fishing techniques, including drift fishing, trolling, and bottom fishing. Charter boat catch is sampled at public fishing access sites through the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey and Large Pelagics Intercept Survey.
- Headboats are vessels that take multiple individual and/or small groups of anglers on a fishing trip with a licensed captain and crew. Headboats are generally larger than charter boats, and almost always take more than six anglers on a given trip. Headboat catch is sampled at sea through the APAIS.
How does NOAA Fisheries use for-hire electronic logbook data (Atlantic)?
This information supplements for-hire recreational fishing effort data collected through the For-Hire Survey. Self-reported data need to be validated through independent observation to ensure scientific soundness. Data collected through electronic logbooks are used alongside data collected through the ForHire Survey to estimate for-hire fishing effort and to inform fishery science and management decisions. We remain committed to working with state and regional partners to advance the uses of electronic reporting technologies in recreational fishing data collection.
How does NOAA Fisheries select vessel representatives for the For-Hire Survey?
We randomly select vessels from NOAA Fisheries’ vessel directory to participate in our For-Hire Survey. The sample consists of active state and federally permitted vessels with county and state of operation, either a state registration number or U.S. Coast Guard documentation number, and a phone number. The vessel directory is updated regularly based on input from field samplers, state For-Hire Survey coordinators, and vessel representatives.
From this sample, vessels are grouped by state and type of vessel (charter boat or headboat). We randomly sample (call) a target of 10 percent of vessel representatives from each of these groupings with a minimum of three vessels per week. Since the sampling is random for each reporting week within a 2-month wave, there is a chance for a vessel’s representative to get called more than once each wave, especially if there are fewer vessels in the grouping.
What can I do to help?
For-hire captains and anglers are our eyes and ears on the water, and the central source of the information we use to estimate recreational fishing activity. When you and your customers participate in recreational fishing surveys, you’re making a vital contribution to the assessment and management of U.S. fish stocks. For-hire captains are highly encouraged to participate in the data collection programs that apply to them, and to recommend their customers participate in NOAA Fisheries’ recreational fishing surveys when asked.