Pacific Recreational Fisheries Regional Implementation Plan

This 2023 plan informs recreational fishing data priorities in California, Oregon, and Washington, over the next several years and will help guide NOAA Fisheries’ allocation of resources to best address the data needs of regional fishery stock assessors and managers. This plan was developed collaboratively by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, Pacific Coast Recreational Fisheries Information Network, and the States of California, Oregon, and Washington. It was approved by NOAA Fisheries. 

• NOAA Fisheries develops recreational fishing data collection and estimation methods, implements survey and data standards, publishes recreational data products, and provides our partners with financial and technical support, including certification and funding support for state-led recreational fishing surveys.
• Regional and state partners identify regional information needs, coordinate survey operations and on-site data collection, and participate in quality assurance and quality control.

West Coast Prioritized Activities

• Maintain current survey sampling levels and restore base levels of sampling, including new funding for NOAA Fisheries-certified programs
• Implement and support enhanced electronic data collection by survey field samplers
• Increase onboard sampling of commercial passenger fishing vessels or recreational charter boats
• Investigate and maintain video-based methods and technology to estimate fishing effort
• Stratify party and charter boat sampling by trip type and sampling period for Southern California
• Improve access to NOAA Fisheries’ survey database
• Calibrate, or rescale, historic state catch estimates based on updated information
• Update state survey designs, estimation methods, and data system to meet NOAA Fisheries’ recreational fishing data collection program’s survey and data standards
• Continue progress on NOAA Fisheries’ certification for all state recreational fishing surveys to ensure surveys are statistically valid to meet objectives and provide key estimates 
• Continue ongoing improvements to the RecFIN database and reporting system and modernize data transfer
• Expand California’s sampling for collection and processing to determine the age of recreationally caught groundfish
• Increase support for additional personnel to help determine the age of recreationally caught groundfish
• Improve outreach activities and educational materials for the Pacific coast sportfishing community