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. If you want to cite a reference for data retrieved from the Recreational Fisheries Statistics Queries, use: "NOAA Fisheries. Recreational Fisheries Statistics Queries. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved [Include date of query], from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/data-tools/recreational-fisheries-statistics-queries." Questions for the Fisheries Statistics Division may be sent to fisheries.mrip@noaa.gov.
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.
NOAA Fisheries has published updated recreational fishing effort and catch private boat and shore estimates for hundreds of species dating back to 1981, reflecting the improved 2026 Fishing Effort Survey (FES) design. These calibrated estimates are available through 2025 in the standard statistics queries (catch time series, effort time series, snapshot, length frequency, and directed trip).
Note: The FES effort estimates are multiplied by the catch-per-trip estimates from in-person dockside interviews (Access Point Angler Intercept Survey) to calculate total catch. The APAIS design has not changed. For-hire effort estimates come from the For-Hire Survey, not FES, and are unaffected by this revision. Highly Migratory Species estimates in the Northeast region are derived primarily from the Large Pelagics Survey, which is not impacted by this revision. This revision does update information for Southeast HMS species as well as Atlantic and Gulf of America coastal shark species.
We anticipate releasing 2026 preliminary estimates through June based on the improved FES by early November. Additional 2026 data will be released by 2-month wave as soon as available. Because the new FES scales estimates lower than the original FES, the 2026 estimates will not be directly comparable to existing Annual Catch Limits set using previous data. In conjunction with the release of the 2026 preliminary estimates, we plan to also publish these estimates back-calibrated to the original FES design, so comparisons can be made between the data sets.
NOAA Fisheries and regional partners will begin integrating the improved data into prioritized stock assessments to help determine the health of stocks and provide new management advice, if warranted, through standard public processes. For interim science and management needs, estimates from the original FES (“PRE”) through 2025 are available in the 2026 calibration comparison queries separately under the Catch Data and Effort Data queries.
As of the most recent updates:
- Final estimates are available through 2025 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.
The recreational fishing estimates used in stock assessments and management support analyses along the Atlantic Coast, Gulf of America, and in Hawaii may differ from estimates published within the MRIP Query Tool. Depending on the stock assessment, regional fishery scientists may make adjustments to MRIP survey data based on species-specific or regional needs. This might include partitioning data by stock areas or sub areas within states, separating and calibrating for-hire estimates, combining estimates with state surveys, applying multi-survey estimates of average fish weights, smoothing survey response outliers, using unweighted length data, and creating additional variables like open and closed-season estimates. Final estimates incorporated into regional stock assessment models are made publicly available on the following websites:
Guidance for Data Users and State Estimate Reviewers
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.
State partners involved in the estimate review process should follow the Procedures for State Partner Review of NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program Preliminary Estimates. For more information on estimate review, estimate availability, and possible outcomes resulting from estimate review, please visit this page.
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