NOAA at work, get ready for the Saltwater fishing national registry

[capt_dalton]

NOAA Proposes Rule to Require Saltwater Angler Registration

On June 11th, NOAA Fisheries released a proposed rule on the National Saltwater Angler Registry, a requirement of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act and an important component of the broader initiative to improve the quality of recreational fishing data.

The national registry of saltwater anglers is the key to closing a major gap in information on recreational fishing. This “phonebook� will improve the efficiency and accuracy of our surveys. It will also help NOAA demonstrate the economic value of saltwater recreational fishing on local and national economies and allow us get a more accurate picture of the level of participation by the American public in saltwater fishing.

Beginning in January 2009, recreational anglers who fish in federal waters are required to be registered each year with NOAA Fisheries Service. The proposed rule also requires registration by those who may catch anadromous species such as salmon, striped bass, and shad that spawn in rivers and streams and spend their adult lives in estuaries and the ocean. Registration will be free for the first two years.

The proposed rule outlines the process NOAA Fisheries will use for registering saltwater recreational anglers. It also addresses the qualifications and procedures for exempting states and their anglers from the federal registration requirement.

Anglers may be exempt from federal registration if they fish in a state that already has a program in place to account for all of its saltwater anglers. The proposed rule outlines possible exemptions for states that have a comprehensive saltwater fishing license or a regional angler survey program approved by NOAA Fisheries. In addition, anglers fishing from licensed for-hire vessels and anglers under the age of 16 are also exempt.

Next Steps
NOAA is accepting public comments on the proposed rule until August 11, 2008. A final rule based on those comments is expected in November 2008 with the requirement going into effect January 1, 2009.
Materials including the press release, fact sheet, and the proposed rule itself are available on www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov. ;

Commonly Asked Questions about the Proposed Rule
How will an angler registry benefit recreational fishermen?
The registry will enhance the conservation of our marine fisheries by vastly improving the quality of our data, while at the same time recognizing the important role of saltwater anglers in the decision-making process.
Will there be any exemptions from the registry requirement?
Anglers may be exempt from the Federal registration requirement if they hold a license or registration issued by a state that already has a program in place to account for all its saltwater recreational anglers (e.g. a comprehensive saltwater fishing license or regional angler survey program that gathers the data necessary for the registry).
If my state has a saltwater fishing license or regional data program, will I automatically be exempt?
No. Once the rule is finalized, each state must apply to NOAA Fisheries for an exemption.
Will anglers fishing from party or charter boats have to register?
Under the proposed rule, individuals fishing from a for-hire vessel would be exempt from the registry requirement. This fishing activity is already accounted for in current surveys of party and charter boat fishing.
Will there be any costs associated with registering?
Not initially. However, an annual fee (in the $15-25 range) may be required beginning in 2011. Any fees collected through the federal registry would not go to NOAA, but rather directly to the U.S. Treasury.
Will there be penalties for not registering?
The Magnuson-Stevens Act generally establishes fines for fishery infractions however, the proposed rule does not specify specific penalty amounts for not registering. NOAA Fisheries will work with the states to develop an appropriate penalty schedule. At the outset, we will focus on raising awareness of the requirements and the registry’s benefits to the fishing public.

Have more questions? Please contact Gordon Colvin at gordon.colvin@noaa.gov.

Upcoming Events
Members of the Executive Steering Committee, teams, and work groups are hitting the road each month to brief partners and constituents about the Marine Recreational Information Program initiative. Below are only a few of the meetings and events.
June Events
Alaska Region Listening Session
Caribbean Region Listening Session
Fishery Management Council Meetings (Gulf, New England, South Atlantic, North Pacific, Western Pacific)
Southern New England Chapter of AFS
Massachusetts Striped Bass Association
July Events
Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee
Plum Island Surfcasters

Click www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov for a complete schedule of upcoming briefings.
Keeping You Informed
National Association of Charterboat Operators

[Lazy_Iguana]

This is not all NOAAs doing. Homeland Security's wet dream is a GPS tracking chip in every person and vehicle in the USA.

So they will start with this national fishing permit. Already CBP wants boats larger than 30 feet in "border areas" to register - even if you already have the local boaters option thing going for you.

NOAA will get data from this, but they could get the same data from the States. And then what about states like FL that have lifetime permits? People will have to buy both. And then FL residents over 65 pay nothing, except for the national permit they will need.

And this "fisheries data" collection scam leaves out people fishing from shore.

And then they will keep going from there. AIS anyone?

And who is behind all this??? Who put these people who are making all this up in charge of various agencies???

[gerg]

Sheesh guys. This isn't NOAA, and it's not DHS. The registry is required by the renewal language in the mangesun stevens act. It requires the feds to maintain a registry of all salt water anglers so they can get better phone survey data. By law, it is free until 2011, and states can establish their own registries as long as they meet the guidelines (you won't have to be listed twice).

It's not some onerous gubberment conspiracy.

Of course, the states are using this as an excuse to implement a salt water fishing license, for big bucks. That is an issue, but it's more one of the states being opportunistic money sucking leaches.

[capt_dalton]

Alabama has had a saltwater fishing license since I was old enough to have to have one, 20 some odd years. It's a way for NOAA via NMFS to set even more assed up regulations. Honestly, have those clowns ever made a regulation that was based on hard concrete fact?

I think there is no coincidence that the same parent organization that guesses at the weather guesses at fish populations. Their weather predictions speak for themselves as do their anti-recreational fisherman regulations.

[BACKTOTHESEA]

I guess the excise tax we boaters and fishermen already pay (from 3 to 10%) isn't enough. A major portion of the funding goes to boater safety and education and funding of pump out stations to reduce discharge. For those who do not know they are paying this tax, read the small passage:

Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act
Federal Aid inSport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777-777k, 64 Stat. 430), as amended. This August 9, 1950, Act has been amended several times and is commonly called the Dingell-Johnson Act or Wallop-Breaux Act. It provides Federal aid to the States for management and restoration of fish having "material value in connection with sport or recreation in the marine and/or fresh waters of the United States." In addition, amendments to the Act provide funds to the states for aquatic education, wetlands restoration, boat safety and clean vessel sanitation devices (pumpouts), and a nontrailerable boat program.

Funds distributed to states for the various programs funded in the Act are collected in an account known as the Sport Fish Restoration Account, one of two accounts in the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund established under the authority of the internal revenue code (26 U.S.C. 9504(a)). Unless otherwise specified in the Act, funds are permanently appropriated (see P.L. 136, August 31, 1951; 65 Stat. 262). Funds are derived from a 10-percent excise tax on certain items of sport fishing tackle (Internal Revenue Code of 1954, sec. 4161), a 3-percent excise tax on fish finders and electric trolling motors, import duties on fishing tackle, yachts and pleasure craft, interest on the account, and a portion of motorboat fuel tax revenues and small engine fuel taxes authorized under the Internal Revenue Code (Sec. 9503).

[mboy]

Lazy_Iguana - 6/16/2008 2:40 PM

This is not all NOAAs doing. Homeland Security's wet dream is a GPS tracking chip in every person and vehicle in the USA.

So they will start with this national fishing permit. Already CBP wants boats larger than 30 feet in "border areas" to register - even if you already have the local boaters option thing going for you.

NOAA will get data from this, but they could get the same data from the States. And then what about states like FL that have lifetime permits? People will have to buy both. And then FL residents over 65 pay nothing, except for the national permit they will need.

And this "fisheries data" collection scam leaves out people fishing from shore.

And then they will keep going from there. AIS anyone?

And who is behind all this??? Who put these people who are making all this up in charge of various agencies???

I guess you don't realize how stupid you sound?

[waterat]

One problem in SC is that shore based fishermen do not have to have a SW license. They are taking from the fishery resource and not contributing to either research or management, ie stocking, reefs, etc. It was all DNR and CCA could do to get a SW license in the first place. The tourist industry screamed bloody murder about how it would negatively impact tourism. Guess they did not see the fuel cost increase coming. In any event this will force the shorebased anglers to join and contrbute. Oh, yes. All the license fees in SC go to DNR, none into the general fund. Waterat

[UaVaj]

Just another stupid fee.

Like this data is gonna even matter. If they truly want know how many angler there are. Just see how many fishing license are sold.

[swflexpat]

I agree, just an excuse to institute another tax.

[ikan besar]

irrespective of all the potential evils, would this not at least let the powers-that-be know how many recreational anglers are out there and thereby give the recreational crowd a bit more leverage with bag limits rather than the lopsided way things are now vis-a-vis the commercial limits?