The user acknowledges that preliminary statistics will be revised before being posted as final, and that the direction and magnitude of revisions can not be predicted.
Recreational Fisheries Statistics Queries
NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program maintains a searchable database of its recreational fisheries statistics. Known as the MRIP Query Tool, this database allows users to filter recreational fishing data by time series, geographic area, species, mode, and other characteristics. Public-use datasets and statistical analysis programs are available on our Recreational Fishing Data Downloads page. If the information you need is not available through the MRIP Query Tool or these public-use datasets, you may submit a custom data request. Requests are handled in order of receipt, and will follow the data request policy. To cite data retrieved from our website, please use "Personal communication from the National Marine Fisheries Service, Fisheries Statistics Division. [Include date of query.]" Questions for the Fisheries Statistics Division may be submitted using this form.
Data Additions and Updates
A complete list of updates to MRIP data, estimates, and queries can be found on our Recreational Fishing Estimate Updates page. To be notified of these updates, subscribe to our email service.
On April 26, 2023, MRIP catch and effort estimates for 2020 wave 5 and 2021 wave 2 were reposted to address highly influential observations. Impacted estimates include: catch and effort for East and West Florida.
On April 19, 2023, we transitioned from producing estimates for catch and effort in two-month waves to producing cumulative estimates to meet our commitment to providing quality data in line with our survey and data standards. We are also providing new fishing-year options (March, May, July, September and November) for catch, effort and length-frequency queries in addition to the traditional calendar-year option. These fishing year options were added to support data users who manage fisheries that don’t align with the calendar year, reducing the need to produce custom catch and effort estimates. The shift to cumulative estimates for our Large Pelagics Survey is on hold while research continues to inform the transition to an improved, certified survey design. LPS will continue to produce catch and effort estimates in one-month increments in the interim.
As of the most recent updates:
- Preliminary estimates are available through wave 3, 2023 for the Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, and Hawaii. Beginning in 2023, Hawaii estimates are now produced using the certified MRIP APAIS design and weighted estimation methods. Prior to 2023, estimates in Hawaii were produced using the NOAA Fisheries' Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Surveys, which MRIP replaced.
- Final estimates are available through 2022 for the Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, and Hawaii. Final estimates for Puerto Rico are available through wave 4, 2017.
- Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Catch Card data is available through 2020.
Data Use Considerations
To interpret recreational fisheries statistics, data users must consider their precision, comparability across time, and the availability of weight measurements. Data users should also be aware of the potential for revisions to estimates that have already been published. More information about data use considerations can be found on our Introduction to MRIP Data page.
Guidance for Data Users
Fisheries analysts and stock assessors are encouraged to download the MRIP Data User Handbook for detailed information about downloading, exporting, querying, and performing custom analyses of our recreational fishing data.
- Section 4.2 contains a list of the queries we offer and the functions performed by each one.
- Section 4.3 includes step-by-step instructions for running common queries.
- Section 2.4 defines common MRIP Query Tool terms. These definitions can also be found in our online Recreational Fishing Data Glossary.
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