National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Research and Environmental Information Fisheries Statistics Division, F/RE1 1315 East-West Highway, Room 12361 Silver Spring, MD 20910 (301) 713-2328
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission 45 SE 82nd Drive, Suite 100 Gladstone, OR 97027
1.0 INTRODUCTION
2.0 INTERCEPT SURVEY
2.5 Quality Control
3.0 TELEPHONE HOUSEHOLD SURVEY
3.3 Telephone Household Data Collection
3.4 Telephone Household Data Entry and Edits
3.5 Quality Control
The purpose of this manual is to document procedures for conduct of the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS). It is intended to supplement the Statement of Work that is included with the 1995 Request for Proposals.
This manual is intended to be a dynamic document. Sections will be modified and added as the MRFSS evolves. Any questions or problems not covered in this manual should be directed to Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, 45 S.E. 82nd Drive, Suite 100, Gladstone, Oregon 97027 (503) 650-5400.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has a requirement for the conduct of a survey of marine recreational anglers, gathering information on their catch, participation, and effort in marine recreational fishing, and selected demographic characteristics.
Until recent years, it was thought that commercial fisheries took the greater part of the total marine fishery catch in the territorial seas of the United States. However most species of fish in estuarine and open ocean areas are harvested by both recreational anglers and commercial fishers. Recent data indicate that catches by the marine recreational fisheries are a significant portion of the total landings of many marine species. The need for commercial catch statistics has been satisfied in the past with routinely collected catch and effort data for most commercial fisheries. Added management responsibilities imposed by Public Law 94265, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (MFCMA), made it necessary to collect data on the marine recreational fisheries catch. Comparable data for marine recreational fisheries have become available since 1979.
Catch and effort statistics are fundamental for assessing the influence of fishing on any stock of fish. The quantities taken, the fishing effort, and the seasonal and geographical distribution of the catch and effort are required for the development of rational management policies and plans. Accurate and up to date catch statistics collected over the range of the species, with associated biological studies, provide conservation agencies with the information necessary to plan for management for optimum yield from fishery resources. These data are essential for State conservation agencies, recreational fishing industries, NMFS, the Regional Fishery Management Councils, and others responsible for or interested in the management and productivity of marine fisheries. The allocations of many fishery resources depend on the results of these surveys.
NMFS is charged with administering a program of research and services relating to the ocean and inland waters of the United States (Title 16, Chapter 9, U.S. Code). Collecting statistics on marine recreational fisheries is authorized by:
1. Section 5(a)(4) of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, which provides for the collection and dissemination of statistics on commercial and sport fishing;
2. Migratory Game Fish Study Act of 1959 (Title 16, Chapter 9A, U.S. Code), which provides for a continuing study of migratory marine fishes, including the effects of fishing on the species; and
3. Sections 303 and 304(e) of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 (MFCMA), (Public Law 94265), which requires the collection of statistics for fishery conservation and management.
A comprehensive collection of catch statistics on marine recreational fisheries has been attempted only in recent years, largely because collecting such statistics is difficult and expensive. Recreational anglers are dispersed along the coast, fishing from boats, piers, jetties, docks and the open beach. They fish day or night, anytime throughout the year. The few coastal States collecting catch statistics use a variety of methods, but usually cover only a part of the State or selected segments of a fishery. NMFS conducted Salt Water Angling Surveys (SWAS) through the Bureau of the Census in 1960, 1965, and 1970. These surveys were supplements to the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife's National Survey of Hunting and Fishing. Prior to 1979 the SWAS's were the only surveys that collected marine recreational catch and participation statistics by species for the entire United States.
The data collected in the SWAS were inadequate to satisfy the information requirements on recreational harvests of finfish. The SWAS did not provide sufficient information on areas of capture that is necessary for effective management of fishery stocks. More importantly there were substantial response errors associated with the one-year recall period required of anglers. Respondents were unable to correctly remember information requested on their fishing activity for a full year. In addition, data collected every five years was insufficient because of rapid changes in the recreational harvest. More detailed and reliable catch, participation, and economic statistics were needed on marine recreational fishing to provide comprehensive estimates of the domestic harvest of finfish and shellfish in U.S. waters. Information would be used for evaluating future demands on the fish stocks and for planning recreational facilities for anglers.
Regional surveys were conducted by NMFS in the Northeastern coastal States in 1974 and the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico States in 1975. The data collection approach involved a multistage sampling procedure. A basic assumption of the regional surveys was that the target population of recreational fishing households could be considered as a subset of the households with telephones. Random-digit dialing methods were used to produce a sample frame of residential households with recreational fishing experience during the previous 12 months. A random sample of these households, stratified by population density and distance from shore, was mailed a questionnaire requesting detailed information on marine fishing activity during the previous 12 months. Numerous procedural weaknesses such as a low response rate to the initial screening phase and a very low response rate to the mailed questionnaire (approximately 25 percent) were identified.
Subsequently, a new methodology study was initiated during the late 1970's and pre-tested on the Pacific coast. Several data collection approaches were compared and one was chosen as the most cost-effective. The result is the current design of a complemented surveys approach combining a telephone household survey with an on-site intercept survey. A random-digit dialing telephone household survey is used to obtain participation and effort (number of fishing trips) data, and information on the proportion of fishing households in each county of the survey area. An on-site intercept survey (creel) was used to obtain the distribution of the catch per trip at the species level. The intercept survey supplied information on the number of anglers with and without phones, the State and county of residence, and other data of interest to fishery managers.
The complemented survey methodology was further tested on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to ensure that: 1) information used in developing the Pacific coast sample frame was available for other parts of the country, and, 2) the approach was appropriate in areas with different geographic and demographic characteristics. The study on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts completed in January 1978.
Marine recreational fishery surveys employing this complemented survey approach began in 1979 and have been conducted in the following areas and years:
Atlantic and Gulf coasts 1979-1997
Pacific coast Mid 1979-1989, 1993-1997
Western Pacific area 1979-1981
Caribbean area 1979, 1981
The survey is conducted bi-monthly on a 12-month basis on the Pacific and Gulf coasts, and the Atlantic coast of Florida, and on a 10-month basis (March through December) on the Atlantic coast north of Florida. Data collected in each State includes catch (number and weight) by species, the area of fishing, the number of marine recreational anglers, the number and length of fishing trips, the fishing mode for each fishing trip, and the disposition of catch.
The MRFSS consists of two independent surveys telephone household survey and an intercept survey. The basic design of the MRFSS is shown as Figure 1. Data obtained from the telephone household survey are used to estimate the total number of marine recreational fishing trips taken by residents of coastal areas. Because the majority of the recreational fishing trips are taken by persons living in households in those counties, this survey is generally limited to households in counties that are located within 25 miles of the coastline.
The intercept survey is needed along with the telephone household survey because certain data cannot be reliably collected cost-effectively over the telephone. These data include: exact species, total number of each species, and length and weight measurements. Data obtained from the intercept survey are used to estimate average catch per trip, the species composition of that catch, and the weight by species of that catch. This survey is also used to develop estimates of the number of trips taken by anglers from non-coastal counties. It is called the intercept survey because anglers are intercepted at fishing sites as they complete their fishing trips.
Data from the telephone household survey and the intercept survey are combined to provide an estimate of the total catch of marine recreational anglers. Total catch is reported by species both in quantity and weight. The MRFSS also provides an estimate of the number of marine recreational anglers in the United States.
Figure 1. Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey Design