NOAA Fisheries Releases Revised MRIP Recreational
Catch Estimates, Hosts Public Webinars
NOAA Fisheries yesterday released
revised Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) catch estimates
(1981-2017) as part of its recent transition from the old Coastal Household
Telephone Survey (CHTS) to the new, mail-based Fishing Effort Survey (FES). The
FES is a more accurate method of collecting saltwater recreational fishing
effort data from shore and private boat anglers on the Atlantic and Gulf
coasts. In its 2017 review of MRIP, the National Academies of Sciences called the FES a “major improvement” over the CHTS. Yesterday, NOAA Fisheries also released preliminary estimates for 2018 wave 1
(Jan. – Feb.). All revised catch and
effort estimates are available on the MRIP website at the data downloads page and also via the data query tool - which will allow anyone to compare time series of
legacy and calibrated estimates.
The release of revised estimates marks an important milestone in our scientific
program’s efforts to improve the way we collect catch data from anglers. Collecting
accurate data is an agency priority. Improved accuracy of our estimates will
provide better information for understanding the health of marine ecosystems
and making decisions that ensure the future of our fisheries resources and the
lives and livelihoods they support.
The FES was developed to address critical problems with the
CHTS and is delivered to households drawn from the U.S. Postal Service database
and supplemented by state-based saltwater recreational angler license and
registration information. In January 2018, the agency
ended the CHTS and moved completely to the FES. As a result of survey improvements, FES estimates are
several times higher than CHTS estimates and vary by state, type of fishing,
and two-month reporting period.
Our studies indicate that the increase in effort estimates
is because the FES does a better job of estimating fishing activity, not a
sudden rise in fishing. After conducting the FES and the CHTS side-by-side for three years, the agency and consultants developed a peer-reviewed calibration model to enable adjustments of the historic estimates to be equivalent to the new FES-based estimates. We
completed a similar process to adjust historical catch rate estimates produced
by the Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS), the shoreside survey
conducted by the states that collects information on angler catch from Maine to
Mississippi. Revised estimates reflect calibration adjustments to catch rate
estimates resulting from changes to the APAIS design, first implemented in 2012.
Implications of the revised estimates on all managed species
won’t be fully understood for several years until they make their way through
the stock assessment process. We’ve been working with the Councils and
Commissions to prioritize those assessments. There are a few that will be
conducted with the calibrated estimates in the latter half of 2018. Stock
assessments with the new estimates will continue in 2019 and beyond.
Click here to learn more about the FES and the revised estimates, view our infographic, watch a video, and read the FAQs.
Public Webinars
The agency will host two webinars to discuss and answer questions about the FES transition and revised catch estimates.
The first webinar will be Friday, July 13 from 10-11 am EDT. Visit our events page for more information and to register.
The second webinar will be Wednesday, July 18 from 6-7 pm EDT. Visit our events page for more information and to register.
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