Will the new method of estimating the recreational angling catch provide numbers that make sense and will they lead to more reasonable regulations? That is the question that has been on my mind for years.
The good news is that something is being done to improve the surveys of recreational anglers. The bad news is that it is taking entirely too long.
The people involved at the federal and state levels seem to understand the problems with the MRFSS and they are trying to correct them. What is needed is more transparency and outreach to the recreational community to demonstrate that improvements are, in fact, being made and that those improvements will eventually lead to regulations that are more favorable to recreational anglers. There is very little substantive information available on www.countmyfish.noaa.gov but you should keep watching it to see what improvements are being made.
In August of 2007 I attended a workshop whose purpose was to review how to improve the Marine Recreational Fishing Statistics Survey under the new name Marine Recreational Information Program. It has been almost four years and the only “improvement” that is obvious to recreational anglers is the formation of the Federal Registry, which was a year late in implementation. I am not sure how much improvement there has been with the use of this phone book but any improvement is better than none. In 2010 there were 700,000 anglers who signed up for this free registry. How many people will sign up for the $15 Federal registry especially when there is no enforcement? Thanks to many recreational fishing groups New Jersey has their own free registry but it is not yet operational. This will save anglers in New Jersey that money.
There are improvements which are being made in counting the number of fish caught recreationally but they are not very visible to anglers. Adjustments are being made in the sampling and a comparison will be conducted of the new system with the old system. It is understandable that both the old and the new systems will have to be conducted for a few years so they can be compared. One thing that is encouraging is that flexibility is being considered on a regional basis.
The states of Oregon and Washington have realized the shortcomings of MRFSS and are spending $1.5 million and $3 million respectively to conduct their own angler surveys. They are able to challenge the MRFSS numbers with their own data. If New Jersey would invest that kind of money we could see some substantial improvements.
One of my frustrations and that of many others is the fact that the party and charter boat logbooks which have been required for years are not being used. There is a fantastic amount of valuable information in those logbooks that is being ignored. Why? Many reasons are given such as no funding but none pass the common-sense test. This data is easily verifiable and should be used to its full extent. In fact, there is no excuse not to use this information. To ignore this data can be compared to ignoring a consumer complaint that the brakes of your car are not working properly. How many complaints of brake malfunctions would it take before a car company would start a thorough investigation and fix the problem? The logbook data is, in fact, a census and a clear indication of what is happening on a daily basis along the coast. Even if it were only used to compare the variability of areas along the coast it would be important.
In the meantime each angler in New Jersey can help to improve the data available by providing their catch information now. Just as in Oregon and Washington the state of New Jersey can provide data and challenge the MRFSS data and you can help them.
You have the ability to self report the results of each of your fishing trips. All you have to do is go to the NJ DEP website and find the Marine Survey or go to this link. This survey, which has been on line since 2008, has not been used by the anglers of New Jersey to its full extent. If you do not avail yourself of this opportunity then please don’t complain to me about the regulations. Using it will help our New Jersey representatives to argue that the MRFSS numbers are not correct and here are our real numbers.
In addition, the JCAA will again this year conduct a survey during our fluke tournament. Please make the effort to complete this catch vs. effort survey. It only takes a few minutes and you should be completing your own fishing log anyway. Last year participation dropped slightly. I would like to see 90% participation in the survey this year. No excuses.
I will be happy to assist any tournament who would like to conduct their own survey by providing my personal assistance with setting up a customized survey and doing the tabulation of the results. Just give me a call at 732-267-6451 or email me at toms6363@comcast.net.
It remains to be seen how good the data from the new system will be. In the meantime for those of you who know of or have been to the Rose Theater in London will understand Shakespeare’s quote “a Rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”
