MRFSS White Paper

MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES STATISTICS SURVEY

Background

While data on commercial fisheries have been collected for many years, detailed statistical information on marine recreational fishing is also required to support a variety of fishery management and development purposes. These include the objectives of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act and Public Law 94-265, as amended. However, prior to 1979, the lack of a continuous or systematic collection of marine recreational fishery data had prevented the accomplishment of these goals. Therefore, NMFS began a comprehensive Marine Recreational Fishery Statistical Survey (MRFSS) in 1979. Surveys have been conducted in the following areas and years:

• Atlantic and Gulf, 1979 through present;
• Pacific, mid-1979 through 1989 and 1993 through present (Washington excluded in 1993-1995);
• Western Pacific, 1979 through 1981;
• and Caribbean, 1979, 1981.
• The survey is being conducted in 1996 along the coast of the entire continental United States.

The MRFSS is only one of several Pacific coast efforts to obtain data on recreational fisheries. Specialized surveys on particular fisheries or fishing modes are conducted by the sates and NMFS.

Description

The MRFSS or Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS) is a nationwide program implemented by NMFS in 1979 to establish a reliable database for estimating the impact of recreational fishing on marine resources. The MRFSS is the primary source of data used by the Recreational Fisheries Information Network (RecFIN), a broad effort to coordinate data between states.

The results of the MRFSS are used by the NMFS, states, interstate fisheries commissions, and regional fishery management councils in fisheries assessment and management decisions.

• Estimates made through the MRFSS include:
• the total number of fish caught,
• the weight of the harvest, the total number of trips,
• the number of people participating in marine recreational fishing.

The MRFSS surveys four separate modes of marine recreational fishing:

1. piers, docks and jetties;
2. beaches and banks;
3. party and charter boats; and
4. private and rental boats.

The MRFSS is a two-part survey. It intercepts and interviews anglers at fishing sites to determine their catch rates and the mode of fishing. The "intercept survey" questions provide information on people who engage in saltwater fishing and the level of that participation. All of the questions asked in this survey are essential in evaluating various parts of the marine recreational fishery.

The second part of the MRFSS is a random "telephone survey" of households to determine the number of households that contain saltwater anglers. Information from these households helps to estimate total trips by mode and area of fishing.