National Saltwater Angler Registry Program

1. National Saltwater Angler Registry Program Report for the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee December 18, 2007

2. Executive Steering Committee National Saltwater Angler Registry Team Operations Team Communications and Education Team Data Management and Standards Work Group Design and Analysis Work Group For Hire Work Group HMS Work Group Initiative Governance Structure

3. Executive Steering Committee Fishery Management Councils • Kitty Simonds (WPFMC) • Miguel Rolon (CFMC) Interstate Commissions • Vince O’Shea (ASMFC) • Larry Simpson (GSMFC) • Randy Fisher (PSMFC) Federal Advisory Committee • Bob Fletcher (MAFAC) NOAA Fisheries • Doug Mecum (NMFS – AKRO) • Nancy Thompson (NMFS – NEFSC) • John Boreman (NMFS – ST, Chair) • Tom Gleason (NMFS – MB, Executive Secretary)

4. Registry Team Members Federal Gordon Colvin, NOAA Fisheries Service (chair) Ken Richkus, US Fish and Wildlife Service State Phil Anderson, Washington DFW Erik Barth, Virginia MRC George Lapointe, Maine DMR Ron Regan, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Mark Robson, Florida FWCC Spud Woodward, Georgia CRD Brad Spear, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Bob Clark, Alaska DFG Council Ed Ebisui, Western Pacific Fishery Management Council Constituent Dick Brame, Coastal Conservation Association Jim Donofrio, Recreational Fishing Alliance Eric Schwaab, MAFAC Liaison, Maryland DNR

5. Registry and MRII Principles • Inclusive • Collaborative • Transparent

6. Background: Basis of Registry National Research Council • Establish “a comprehensive, universal sampling frame with national coverage.” • …by creating a “national registration of all saltwater anglers” or “through new or existing state saltwater license programs that would allow no exemptions and that would provide appropriate contact information from anglers fishing in all marine waters, state and federal.”

7. Basis of Registry (cont.) Magnuson-Stevens Act • Federally established national/regional registry • Fishing in EEZ or for anadromous species • No fee before January 1, 2011 • Vessels included? • Anglers may be exempted based on data provided by states

8. Basis of Registry (cont.) The secretary shall exempt from registration under the program recreational fishermen and charter fishing vessels licensed, permitted or registered under the laws of a State if the Secretary determines that information from the state program is suitable for the Secretary’s use or is used to assist in completing marine recreational fisheries statistical surveys, or evaluating the effects of proposed conservation and management measures for marine fisheries.”

9. REGISTRY TEAM GOALS • Goal: Build, over time, and maintain a directory that identifies and supplies mail and telephone contact information for marine anglers and for-hire vessels in the United States, and that is sufficient in conjunction with supplemental data, to characterize saltwater angling effort as intended by the NRC Recreational Survey Review Panel and by Congress in the MSA. • Subgoal: Maximize the use of information collected by states in conjunction with state licenses or registries to populate the directory. • Subgoal: Minimize the time and paperwork required for anglers to submit information to the directory. • Goal: Enable states, working through regional partnerships, to collect and submit recreational catch and effort data that conforms to national standards in lieu of submission of angler identification information. • Goal: Achieve a high level of support for, and confidence in, the quality and utility of the data that results from use of the directory from anglers and fisheries professionals.

10. Registry Team Schedule • Select the Approach for creating the National Saltwater Angler Registry and adopt a Development Plan that incorporates that Approach by September 30, 2007. • Adopt a final rule to implement the program by spring, 2008. Complete Exemption Agreements with qualifying states by January, 2009. • Establish the process for registering anglers from non-exempted states by December 31, 2008. • Begin to register anglers and to receive angler identification and contact information from exempted states, and to input that data into a new national saltwater angler registry data base, by January, 2009.

11. Getting to Exempted State Status • State provides NOAA with a license or registry-based frame of anglers and/or for-hire vessels including identification and contact information; OR • State uses registry-based information in a regional survey accepted by NOAA -This has come to be known as the Hybrid Approach

12. What State License Exemptions Will NOAA Accept? POTENTIALLY: • Youths < 14 to 16 • Seniors > 60 (initially) • Fishing on licensed piers or for-hire vessels • Disabled anglers • Active military while on furlough These are some possible exemptions currently being considered.

13. State License Exemptions We’re Concerned About • Fishing on a licensed private boat • Fishing from private property • Shore and public pier fishing exemptions • Exclusion of some marine waters

14. Challenges to a Complete Sampling Frame • Lifetime or long-term licenses • to retain Exempted State status, states would commit to a time frame to refresh licensees’ data • Combination licenses • states would commit to a time frame for earmarking saltwater anglers • Senior license • states would commit to a time frame for recovering ID and contact info for exempted seniors • Data delivery • assure state registry data is available and deliverable in a usable format within a specified time frame

15. Survey-based Exemptions • State survey data is part of a Regional survey. Define the regions as: Western Pacific: Alaska; Pacific (i.e. Pacific RecFIN); Gulf (i.e. RecFIN SA); Caribbean; Atlantic (i.e. ACCSP). • Surveys utilize angler registry frames. • Surveys are determined by NOAA Fisheries to meet national survey design and data collection standards

16. State-Federal Communications • Regular progress reports to states; no surprises • We will invite states to participate in outreach and communication actions • Upon request, Registry and Operations Team will be available to brief state agencies, legislators and state marine fishery council members

17. Questions and Comments • Website: • http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrii/angler_registry.html • Email to cyberfish@noaa.gov • Gordon Colvin contact info: • 301-713-2367 ext. 175 (office) • 240-357-4524 (cell) • gordon.colvin@noaa.gov