July 12, 2018
This week the NOAA Fisheries 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 was developed to address critical problems with the CHTS.
In January 2018, NOAA 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. The increase in effort estimates is because the FES does a better job of estimating fishing activity, not a sudden rise in fishing.
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.
To help the public understand the changes that have taken place, NOAA will host two webinars to discuss and answer questions about the FES transition and revised catch estimates. The two webinars will be held as follows:
Friday, July 13 from 10-11 am EDT
Wednesday, July 18 from 6-7 pm EDT
To register and more information, visit their Events Page.
More Information (NOAA Website)
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