NOAA Fisheries has published a report to Congress with our response to the NationalAcademies’ of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2021 recommendations on recreationalfishing data collection, data use, and alternative management strategies. The intent of this reportwas to evaluate how NOAA Fisheries recreational data collection program is meeting the needsof in-season management of fisheries with annual catch limits.
Key Points from the Academies’ Report:
- NOAA Fisheries has improved the recreational catch data used in stock assessments.
- The program produces “critically important” catch data unlikely to be replicated for monitoring and assessing council-managed stocks.
- In-season management is not required for most fisheries nationwide due to broad regional diversity in management needs.
Several recommendations in the Academies’ report call for exploration and development offorecasting methods for in-season catch and management. The report also recommendsconducting research and pilot studies on a number of statistical methods to improve catch andforecasting estimates, as well as recommendations to pursue alternative management approaches to better align management actions and accountability with data availability.
“We’re looking forward to working with the councils and our other partners as we furtherdiscuss the recommendations or actions to implement the recommendations,” said Kelly Denit,director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries. “We are committed to meeting a wide range of fisheriesscience and management needs and priorities nationwide.”
Response to Academies’ Recommendations:
Many of the report’s recommendations suggest continuing ongoing agency practices while alsoencouraging partners to take equivalent actions. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are alsoalready taking action on a number of recommendations outlined in the study, including:
- NOAA Fisheries is working closely with partners to calibrate and reconcile differences among survey programs including those in the Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii.
- NOAA Fisheries will continue to support the development and use of catch forecasting models in priority regions (e.g., Atlantic, Gulf, and West Coast). NOAA Fisheries regional offices and science centers will also continue to evaluate their utility.
- NOAA Fisheries will explore recommended statistical methods where applicable and recommend their consideration by partners.
- Further discussion, planning, and coordination are underway with NOAA Fisheries, Councils, Commissions, and states to develop detailed plans to address some of the recommendations identified for further action that are not already in progress. Efforts will be prioritized based on regional needs and availability of funding.
“The National Academies’ recommendations contain management and science-relatedconsiderations,” said Richard Cody, chief of the Office of Science and Technology’s NOAAFisheries Statistics Division. “A high level of coordination is necessary to address themappropriately. Several of the recommendations will require regionally specific approaches toaccount for regional differences in management regimes, data needs, and resources available.This report to Congress sets that process in motion.”
NOAA Fisheries’ recreational data collection program –also known as the Marine RecreationalInformation Program—is the state-regional-federal partnership that develops, implements, andcontinually improves a national network of recreational fishing surveys to estimate totalrecreational catch. These estimates are used by fisheries scientists and managers to help informstock assessments and fisheries management decisions.
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