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Home NOAA Proposes Rule to Require Saltwater Angler
NOAA Proposes Rule to Require Saltwater Angler Registration
June 11, 2008
 NOAA's
Fisheries Service is seeking comment on a proposed rule that
requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally
in federal ocean waters to be registered before fishing in
2009.
The
rule would also require registration by those who may catch
anadromous species anywhere, including striped bass, salmon
and shad that spawn in rivers and streams and spend their
adult lives in estuaries and the ocean.
 The
proposed rule satisfies the National Academy of Science National
Research Council recommendations to establish a national database
of saltwater anglers, and meets the requirements under the
Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The proposed
rule is part of a larger initiative of NOAA's Fisheries Service
to improve the quality and accuracy of data on marine recreational
fishing and catches. The registry will also help measure the
economic benefits of recreational fishing on the national
and local economies.
"The
national registry of saltwater anglers is the key to closing
a major gap in information on recreational fishing," said
Jim Balsiger, NOAA acting assistant administrator for NOAA's
Fisheries Service. "It will help us conduct surveys to get
a more complete picture of how recreational fishing by an
estimated 14 million people is affecting fish stocks. This
will lead to better stock assessments and more effective regulations
to rebuild and manage these valuable fish."
NOAA
may exempt anglers from registration if they already have
a state-issued saltwater fishing license or registration,
and the state provides sufficiently complete information to
place in the national registry. In certain instances, anglers
in states participating in regional surveys of marine recreational
fishing may also be exempted. The new rule allows states to
apply for exemptions.
 States
on the West Coast (including Alaska), the Gulf Coast, and
the South Atlantic offer saltwater fishing licenses. Hawaii
and the states from New Jersey to Maine do not.
"States
without saltwater licenses have a strong incentive to adopt
licenses," said Balsiger. "Any fee that a state collects through
a license can be used for restoration and fishery management
in the state. By law, the registry fee taken by NOAA will
offset the cost of issuing the registration. It can not be
specifically directed to fisheries management."
Fishermen
would be required to be registered annually and NOAA will
not charge a registration fee in the first two years. Beginning
in 2011, the annual fee will be an estimated $15 to $25 per
angler. Anglers under the age of 16 would be exempt from registering
and fees would be waived for indigenous people, such as members
of federally recognized tribes. NOAA's Fisheries Service recognizes
that many indigenous people fish for food as part of ancient
cultural traditions.
Anglers
who fish only on licensed party, charter, or guide boats would
also be exempt, since these vessels are surveyed separately
from the angler surveys. Also, persons who hold commercial
fishing licenses or permits, and are legally fishing under
them, will be exempt from the registration requirement.
Registrations
will include an angler's name, address, telephone number,
and the regions where fishing is conducted. This information
will not be made public; it will be used only by NOAA to conduct
surveys.
The
National Academy of Science's National Research Council advised
NOAA's Fisheries Service in 2006 to redesign its surveys of
recreational fishermen for more accuracy, precision, and transparency.
The NRC's independent scientific review resulted in more than
200 recommendations for improving marine recreational surveys,
including the recommendation to establish a national database
of saltwater anglers. This recommendation became law in the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act,
the primary fisheries law for U.S. ocean waters, which was
reauthorized in 2007.
For
the last 28 years, NOAA's Fisheries Service has conducted
recreational fishing surveys through random telephone interviews
with residents living in coastal counties. NOAA and its regional
and state partners conduct an extensive program of dockside
interviews of anglers to obtain data on their catch.
The
national saltwater registry will enable surveyors to interview
only those people who fish, and will reach all anglers, not
only those who live near the coast. To read the proposed rule,
go to the National
Saltwater Anlger Registry.
 NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety
through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related
events and information service delivery for transportation,
and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's
coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global
Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA
is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries
and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring
network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts,
and protects.
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