- NOTICE TO ALL SALTWATER ANGLERS OF ALL USA STATES -
Registrations starting
Friday, January 1,
2010
To register online, go to:
http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/
NATIONAL SALTWATER ANGLER REGISTRY OPENS ON NEW YEAR'S
DAY
New program, part of improved data collection system, to help protect
nation’s ocean resources
Saltwater recreational fishermen have long expressed concerns about the
data used to estimate the effects of recreational fishing on ocean
resources and the nation’s economy. The National Saltwater Angler
Registry, which launches on Friday, will help address that concern by
providing a comprehensive list of the nation’s saltwater anglers that
will be used to improve surveys of fishermen. These surveys are used by
NOAA scientists to assess the health of fish stocks and to estimate the
economic contributions of anglers.
Many saltwater recreational fishermen will be required to register
before fishing in 2010. The registry is open for registrations starting
Friday, January 1. But if you have a state saltwater fishing license,
you may already be part of the registry.
“Registering, recreational anglers will make their catch count," said
Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries
Service. “The National Saltwater Angler Registry is an important tool
that will enable us to better estimate the health of marine fisheries so
that we’re able to preserve the pastime of recreational saltwater
fishing for generations to come."
“Recreational fishers need the registry,” says Capt. Monty Hawkins, a
party boat operator and recreational fishing advocate based in Ocean
City, Md. “People’s lives depend on the quality of the government’s
information. It’s the basis for management decisions on everything from
creel limits to whether to shut down whole sections of the coast. I’ve
been harshly critical of recreational fishing data in the past, but I
welcome the registry as a way to improve upon the current system."
Gordon Colvin, a biologist with NOAA’s Fisheries Service and interim
senior policy advisor on recreational fishing to Balsiger, who has
spearheaded the registry implementation, said that many anglers will not
need to take any action to register, because their coastal states
already have agreements in place with NOAA to share state saltwater
fishing license information.
WHO NEEDS TO REGISTER:
Recreational saltwater fishermen will need to register if they:
• Fish in one of 10 coastal states or territories which do not currently
have comprehensive saltwater angler license or registration requirements
Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire,
Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Fish for or are likely to catch anadromous species in tidal and salt
waters; these are fish like river herring, shad, smelt and striped bass
that live in the oceans but spawn in fresh water, OR
• Fish in the federal waters more than three miles from the ocean shore
or from the mouths of rivers or bays
WHO DOESN'T NEED TO REGISTER:
Some anglers don’t have to register if they:
• Hold a valid license from one of 15 coastal states with comprehensive
licensing or registration Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North
Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington;
• Are not required under state law in one of these 15 states to hold a
fishing license as is sometimes the case with seniors or active-duty
military;
• Are under age 16;
• Pay to fish on licensed charter, party or guide boats;
• Hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling permit or subsistence fishing
permit (others fishing aboard may have to register);
• Fish commercially under a valid license.
WHERE, WHAT & HOW TO REGISTER:
National Saltwater Angler registration
is free in 2010. To register beginning Friday, anglers can visit
http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov and
click on the Register link, or call the toll-free registration line at
1-888-MRIP-411 (1-888-674-7411) from 4:00 am to 12 midnight EST daily.
Anglers will need to provide their name, date of birth, address and
telephone number, and will receive a registration number that will allow
them to begin fishing immediately. They will receive a registration card
in the mail in about 30 days.
WHY YOU REGISTER:
Steve Medeiros, executive director of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers
Association and a leading advocate for a saltwater fishing license in
his state, said the registry is an important step. “While it’s true that
some fishermen don’t like the idea of having to register to participate
in a sport they’ve taken for granted their whole lives, anyone fishing
today knows that increasing pressures on the ocean are having a real
effect,” he said. “If we’re going to pass the sport down to our children
and grandchildren, we’re going to need sound management based on good
data.”
The registry will be used as the basis for conducting surveys of
saltwater recreational fishermen to find out how often they fish. It
will eventually replace the use of random-digit dialing to coastal
households, a system NOAA has had in place since the 1970s. The goal is
to improve survey efficiency and reduce bias by making calls only to
homes where people fish, and reaching saltwater anglers who live outside
coastal counties.
While the registry is among the most visible aspects of NOAA’s Marine
Recreational Information Program, it is only one component of this
rigorous multi-year, multi-phased overhaul of the system NOAA uses to
collect and report recreational fishing data. Each piece of its design
and implementation has been guided by close working relationships among
NOAA personnel, fisheries managers, state partners, independent
scientists and the recreational fishing community.
Recreational fishermen should also remember that regardless of whether
an individual is registered with NOAA, they must obey all state
regulations and licensing requirements where they are fishing. |
