News from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
December 30, 2008
Phone: (603) 271-3211
Email:
info@wildlife.nh.gov
11 Hazen Drive, Concord, N.H. 03301
For information and online licenses, visit
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us
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NOAA TO CREATE SALTWATER ANGLER REGISTRY IN 2010
CONCORD, N.H. - On December 31, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)'s Fisheries Service will release the final rule creating a
national saltwater angler registry of all marine recreational fishermen to help
the nation better protect its shared marine resources. The rule requires anglers
and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters or who fish
anywhere in tidal waters for anadromous fish, including striped bass, smelt,
shad, or salmon, to register with the national saltwater angler registry
beginning January 1, 2010. NOAA had originally proposed that registration be required beginning in
January 2009, but, based on public input, decided to give states another year to
put in place their own data collection systems. The requirement to establish a
registry was part of a law approved by Congress in 2007.
"Under the new rule, New Hampshire saltwater anglers will not have to register
in January 2009," said Douglas Grout, Chief of the New Hampshire Fish and Game
Department's Marine Division. "A year from now, they will have to register,
either for the federal saltwater angler registry, or a state licensing system if
the state has one in place that meets federal data collection requirements."
Here's how it will work: Beginning in January 2010, NOAA will implement the
national registration system. At that time, anglers in states that do not have a
state licensing or registration system must register through NOAA. No federal
fee will be charged in 2010, but an estimated fee of $15 to $25 per angler will
be charged starting in 2011. Anglers fishing from licensed party or charter boats would not be
required to registered with NOAA, since these vessels are surveyed separately
from angler surveys.
"NOAA wants to work closely with the states and anglers to better capture the
contributions and effects of sportfishing," said Jim Balsiger, acting assistant
administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service. "We expect that this additional year
will allow a number of states to put in place systems to register their anglers
annually and provide this information to NOAA."
Proposed legislation has been filed in the New Hampshire House of
Representatives that would establish a state recreational saltwater license for
fishing marine fish species in coastal or estuarine waters (2009-H-0196-R).
If saltwater anglers are not licensed or registered through a state system and
want to fish in federal waters, they will be required to register with NOAA.
They must also register if they fish in tidal waters for anadromous fish such as
striped bass, smelt, shad, and salmon that spawn in rivers and spend their adult lives
in estuaries and oceans.
NOAA received nearly 500 comments from anglers, state officials, and fishing and
environmental organizations on its proposed national registry rule during the
comment period from June 12 until Aug. 21, 2008. The registry is one component
of the agency's new Marine Recreational Information Program, an initiative to
enhance data collection on recreational catch and effort.
To read the final registry rule and other information about the Marine
Recreational Information Program, go to:
http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the
depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our
coastal and marine resources. Visit
http://www.noaa.gov.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state's
marine, fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. Visit
http://www.FishNH.com/marine.
NOAA TO CREATE SALTWATER ANGLER REGISTRY IN 2010 
