An Introduction to Marine Recreational Information Program Data

NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program works with state and regional partners to produce the recreational fisheries statistics that help scientists and managers assess and maintain sustainable U.S. fish stocks. In accordance with NOAA’s Information Quality Guidelines, program staff work to provide those who are affected by science and management decisions with the information needed to understand the data that informed them. This includes providing open access to:

• The data used;
• The analytical methods applied; and
• The assumptions and statistical procedures employed.

Guidance for Data Users

While this webpage provides an overview of our data products, production schedule, review process, and use considerations, fisheries analysts and stock assessors are encouraged to download the MRIP Data User Handbook for more detailed information about downloading, exporting, querying, and performing custom analyses of our recreational fishing data. Data users are also encouraged to watch recordings of the 2021-2022 MRIP Data User Seminar Series.

Data Products

NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program provides open access to its recreational fishing microdata and its catch and effort estimates.

• Microdata are the recreational fishing information gathered through our recreational fishing surveys.
• Estimates are the calculated recreational catch and effort estimates produced from these microdata and intended to be representative of the full recreational fishing community's activities. As part of the Marine Recreational Information Program’s commitment to data quality and transparency, our catch and effort estimates are accompanied by a measure of precision, which is an indicator of the estimate’s quality. NOAA Fisheries carefully determines how to best use the data available for use in stock assessments and fisheries management decisions. 
• Data is a term that encompasses both microdata and estimates.

There are several ways to access the Marine Recreational Information Program’s data products. You can:

• Visit our Recreational Fishing Data Downloads page to access our public-use datasets and the template programs we have developed to support custom domain analyses.
• Use the MRIP Query Tool to filter recreational fisheries statistics by time series, geographic area, species, mode, and other characteristics.
• Submit custom data requests.

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.

In accordance with NOAA Fisheries’ Data and Information Management Policy Directive (PDF, 5 pages), metadata that describes the “what, where, when, how, and who” of the Marine Recreational Information Program’s data holdings is available on InPort: a centralized repository of NOAA Fisheries’ data documentation.

Data Availability

Data Collection Schedule

Different recreational fishing surveys are administered in different regions at different times. In the Northeast, for example, the agency’s Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) is not currently administered during known periods of low fishing activity. The table below indicates which of the Marine Recreational Information Program’s surveys are conducted during which two-month sampling periods, or waves.

Note: The APAIS and For-Hire Survey (FHS) do not sample headboats south of Virginia, as these vessels are covered by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Southeast Region Headboat Survey. Data collection efforts were suspended in Puerto Rico in September 2017, following Hurricane Maria.

Estimation and Publication Schedule

Preliminary estimates are published 45 days after the end of a wave, or a 2-month sampling period, to allow time to compile the data collected during that wave (publishing schedule: April 15, June 15, August 15, October 15, December 15, and February 15). Preliminary wave estimates may be revised before they are published as final. All wave-level estimates are considered preliminary until made final in April of the following year. Even final estimates can be revised if additional information becomes available that supports a revision.

Preliminary microdata and estimates from the LPS are published approximately 45-60 days after the end of each one-month sampling period (i.e., June estimates are published in September, July estimates are published in October, etc.). Final microdata and estimates from the LPS are published early in the following year.

To be notified of updates to MRIP data, estimates, and queries, subscribe to our email service.

Learn more in Section 2.2 of the MRIP Data User Handbook

Data Review

NOAA Fisheries continues to evaluate and incorporate improvements to our recreational catch and effort data estimation processes as well as our estimate review process. 

Our staff practice quality assurance and control measures before our estimates are published. We check for errors in data entry and investigate any unusual changes in catch and effort trends. We also involve NOAA Fisheries’ regional offices and science centers, who have local on-the-ground knowledge, in the review of preliminary estimates before they are published.

To minimize the potential for error in our estimates, we follow a number of best practices for quality assurance and quality control.

To support quality assurance, which works to prevent invalid data from entering our system, we:

• Ensure field interviewers are trained.
• Ensure data entry is intuitive.
• Conduct validation interviews.
• Build checks into the estimation process to help identify invalid or mismatched data.

To support quality control, which works to detect and correct errors that make it into our data, we:

• Manually review our estimates for potential errors at each step of analysis. Regional partners are able to flag unusually high or low (outlier) estimates based on their familiarity with local fisheries and fish stocks.
• Use statistically backed approaches to systematically identify outlier estimates. We consider several factors to investigate the reason for a sudden increase or decrease and determine whether corrections must be made. For example: Is the estimate based on a small sample size, or influenced by an unusual data point? Did a weather event or change in fishing regulations cause a spike or sharp decline in related fishing activity?

Data Use Considerations

Data users should be aware of the limitations of our data.

Revisions

Preliminary estimates may be revised before they are published as final, and final estimates may be revised if errors are found. When substantial revisions are made, subscribers to our email service are notified and notes are posted to the MRIP Query Tool and Recreational Fishing Estimate Updates webpage.

Precision

Percent standard error, or PSE, is a measure of precision that is published alongside all of our point estimates. Estimates should be viewed/used with increasing caution as PSEs increase beyond 30%, and we do not support the use of estimates with PSEs of 50% or above. The higher the PSE, the larger the margin of error or uncertainty in the data's accuracy. 

Sample Size

Small sample sizes may result in imprecise estimates. Catch estimates for rare-event species, for example, are often less precise than catch estimates for commonly caught species. But when we group year, state, wave, or mode estimates together, sample sizes increase and precision improves. For this reason, our estimates are best viewed in aggregate: annually and at the state or regional level.

Time Series

Generally speaking, estimates from Maine through Mississippi may be compared across extended periods of time, because calibration methodologies have been applied to account for changes in survey design and sample coverage over the years. However, we advise caution in using the National Summary Query to make such long-term comparisons for estimates in Louisiana, California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.

Weight Estimates

In some cases, landed fish may not be represented in weight data. This can occur when no fish were observed, or when observed fish were too large for a weight measurement to take place. Furthermore, weight estimates published in the MRIP Query Tool may differ from weight estimates published by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, which follows a different weight estimation procedure for South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico managed species. More information about how weight estimates are produced can be found in the Weight Data entry of the Recreational Fishing Data Glossary.

Learn more in Section 3 of the MRIP Data User Handbook

Q&As

How do you determine the accuracy of your estimates?

Our staff practice quality assurance and control measures before our estimates are published. We check for errors in data entry and investigate any unusual changes in catch and effort trends. We also involve NOAA Fisheries’ regional offices and science centers, who have local on-the-ground knowledge, in the review of preliminary estimates before they are published. 

If we detect a potential outlier (a very high or very low estimate), we try to determine the reason. 

We examine the data for sample size concerns, interviews that seem non-representative of the fishing community, differences in interview frequency between open and closed seasons during a 2-month wave, and other factors. We collaborate with our affected regional offices, science centers, and state partners to further investigate and compare notes on potential contributing factors or errors. Sometimes the reason is truly unknown, and that uncertainty is considered during assessment and management.  

As part of our commitment to data quality and transparency, our catch and effort estimates are accompanied by a measure of precision. The higher an estimate’s Percent Standard Error, or PSE, the larger the margin of error and uncertainty around the estimate. MRIP cautions use of the estimate in fisheries management when the PSE is over 30 and does not support use of the estimate when the PSE exceeds 50. 

What is the timeline for publishing preliminary and final estimates? Can estimates be changed?

Preliminary estimates are published 45 days after the end of a wave to allow time to compile the data collected during that wave. Preliminary wave estimates may be revised before they are published as final. All wave-level estimates are considered preliminary until made final in April of the following year. Even final estimates can be revised if additional information becomes available that supports a revision.

Fishing Effort Survey responses that arrive too late to contribute to a preliminary estimate are included in revisions, and the updated preliminary estimate is published as part of the typical publishing schedule for the following wave. With the incorporation of new data, revised estimates can be higher, lower, or similar to the original published preliminary estimate. Preliminary estimates may also be revised if it is determined that a correction is warranted based on investigation into the data, and final estimates may be revised if errors are found.

Depending on results of an estimate review, statisticians can generally take one of three actions:

• Correct an identified error in the underlying data or estimation program. For example, if we find that a catch record was attributed to the wrong species.
• Adjust the sample weight to minimize the impacts of an influential, non-representative data point. Weighting ensures our sampled units are able to represent themselves and the broader population of anglers we were not able to sample. For example, if we verify the accuracy of an unusual catch record, but determine that it is uncharacteristic of the catch that is generally reported for that species, its sample weight may be adjusted, to reduce the impact of this non-representative catch. 
• Take no action, if investigations have not identified errors and there are no indications the data are not representative. 

What are you doing to improve your estimate review process?

NOAA Fisheries continues to evaluate and incorporate improvements to our recreational catch and effort data estimation processes as well as our estimate review process. We are collaborating with the Atlantic and Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissions to conduct estimate review workshop(s) to strengthen the estimate review process and improve coordination. In addition, we are continuing collaborative work on alternative approaches for data gaps caused by imprecise and outlier catch and effort estimates. 

How are estimates used in stock assessments and management?

NOAA Fisheries carefully determines how to best use the data available for use in stock assessments and fisheries management decisions. This includes review of the final year-prior landing estimates while taking into consideration estimates with high uncertainty.

More Information

• Recreational Fishing Data Downloads
• Recreational Fishing Data and Statistics Queries
• MRIP Data User Handbook
• Recreational Fishing Estimation Methods Overview
• Recreational Fishing Estimate Updates