| Since the 1970s the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistical Survey, or MRFSS, has been the program which estimates recreational catches of marine fish. Now, a new plan is being implemented to replace MRFSS. It is called the Marine Recreational Information Program.
For the past four decades MRFSS has gathered information about catches and retention of fish by recreational fishermen along the coasts of the U.S. This was accomplished through many man hours of intercept surveys in which surveyors interviewed anglers at boat launches and marinas at random sites across coastal regions. Random phone interviews were also conducted asking a series of questions concerning coastal fishing activities such as numbers of trips, numbers of fish caught and numbers of fish kept. From this data, estimates were made of the amount of effort, number of fish caught and the number of fish kept for a region, state or the nation by recreational anglers.
The new system, Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is designed to meet two critical needs:
- Provide the detailed, timely, scientifically-sound estimates that fishery managers, stock assessors and marine scientists need to ensure the sustainability of ocean resources.
- Address head-on stakeholder concerns about the reliability and credibility of recreational fishing catch and effort estimates.
MRIP is a system of coordinated data collection programs designed to address specific regional needs for recreational fishing information. This regional approach based on a nationally consistent standard will ensure that the appropriate, targeted, place-based information is being collected to best meet the needs of managers and stakeholders, and that it is being done in a scientifically rigorous way.
Although NOAA Fisheries is ultimately responsible for making MRIP work, the program’s design has relied extensively on input and commitment from independent scientists, partner agencies, fishing groups, conservation organizations and individuals who served on MRIP working groups.
The ultimate goal of the MRIP is to reduce bias and increase the accuracy, timeliness and spatial resolution of recreational catch and effort estimates. MRIP is also intended to increase stakeholder confidence in those estimates.
For more information on the MRIP visit website: www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/aboutus/index.html .
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