Outreach and Education from the Marine Recreational Information Program

The Marine Recreational Information Program works through its Communications and Education Team to strengthen understanding of our data collection methods and build confidence in our recreational catch estimates. Working with our state and regional partners, we have developed outreach and educational materials that explain how data are collected, how estimates are produced, and how these estimates support sound science and management. Those materials are catalogued here. To request printed copies, please email Fisheries.MRIP@noaa.gov. 

Additional documents, such as strategic plans, implementation plans, and manuals, can be found in the NOAA Fisheries Resource Library.

Subscribe to the MRIP Newscast to receive news and information from the program. Subscribe to the MRIP Data Update Email Service to receive notifications of updates to our datasets, estimates, queries, and custom domain estimation programs.

General Outreach

Video: MRIP 101 (~30:00) 

This video is a recording of a live webinar providing an introduction to the Marine Recreational information Program, held Feb. 28, 2023. The presentation is approximately 30 minutes, with the Q&A section extending the video to 1:26:06. We held an additional webinar providing the same content March 7, 2023. That video recording may also be provided on request. 

Web Series: Ask MRIP

This web series answers frequent questions about the science and statistics that support sustainable fishing.

• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About For-Hire Data
• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About Recreational Fishing Data Collection
• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About Estimating Recreational Catch
• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About Survey Errors

Infographic: Your Fishing Counts; Rack Card: Your Data Makes a Difference

These products provide an overview of MRIP and our recreational fishing data collection and estimation efforts. 

Regional and State Rack Cards and Handouts

Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii

Individual state rack cards can be developed upon request. 

Access Point Angler Intercept Survey

Fact Sheet: APAIS At-a-Glance

This fact sheet answers common questions about our shoreside intercept survey.

Infographic: Public Fishing Access Site Register

This infographic explains how our online database of saltwater fishing access sites helps us determine when and where state-based field interviewers will conduct our shoreside intercept survey.

Video: How We Count Your Catch (05:12)

This video explains how participating in our shoreside intercept survey allows recreational anglers to play a critical role in supporting sustainable fishing opportunities.

Video: Addressing Bias (05:25)

This video explains how shoreside intercept survey protocols have improved the quality of our data and reduced the potential for bias in our recreational fishing estimates.

Fishing Effort Survey

Fact Sheet: FES At-a-Glance

This fact sheet answers common questions about our mail survey of fishing activity.

For-Hire Data Collection

Infographic: Atlantic For-Hire Data Makes a Difference

Infographic: Gulf of Mexico For-Hire Data Makes a Difference

These regionally focused infographics illustrate the complementary data collection programs NOAA Fisheries uses to collect information about for-hire fishing activity along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. 

Large Pelagics Survey

Rack Card: Estimating Large Pelagic Catch: What Anglers Need to Know

This rack card explains how we collect information from private and for-hire fishing trips targeting tuna, sharks, billfish, swordfish, mahi, wahoo, and other offshore species to estimate total catch and release for large pelagic species.

Estimation

Video: From an Interview to an Estimate: Understanding How NOAA Fisheries Estimates Recreational Catch (31:35)

This presentation explains how NOAA Fisheries turns recreational fishing data into catch and effort estimates, using statistical weighting to ensure the representativeness of our sample. Supporting materials can be found on our Estimation Methods Overview page.

Data User Seminar Series

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 1: An Introduction to MRIP Data (74:12)

This recording of the first virtual event in NOAA Fisheries’ 2021-2022 MRIP Data User Seminar Series provides an overview of the agency’s marine recreational fishing data, including data products, uses, limitations, and standards. Visit the event page to access supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation.

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 2: Statistical Methods and Procedures (113:38)

This recording provides an overview of the program's survey designs and statistical methods, with a focus on the program's three general recreational fishing surveys. Visit the event page to access supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation.

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 3: MRIP Query Tool (65:40)

This recording provides an overview of how the MRIP Query Tool can be used to filter NOAA Fisheries’ recreational catch and effort statistics by time series, geographic area, species, mode, and other characteristics. Visit the event page to access supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation.

Videos: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 4: Custom Domain Analyses Part One (100:24) and Custom Domain Analyses Part Two (86:59)

These recordings provide examples (using SAS software) of how the Marine Recreational Information Program’s template programs and public-use datasets may be used to produce custom estimates. Examples covered in part one include estimates for user-defined geographic and temporal domains, as well as directed trip estimates. Examples covered in part two include directed trip estimates, length frequencies, catch frequencies, multi-year or moving average estimates, and simple outlier analysis. Visit the event page to access supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation.

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 5: FES Queries and Custom Domain Analyses (51:56)

This recording provides an overview of three new Fishing Effort Survey queries, as well as examples of how to use public-use FES datasets to produce custom effort estimates. Visit the event page to access supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation.

More Information

• Frequently Asked Questions About MRIP