2024 Regional Recreational Fishing Highlights

Image

NOAA Fisheries regional offices and science centers are our eyes and ears on the ground and our first points of contact with anglers. The regional recreational implementation plans allowed us to make significant strides in 2024 to advance and promote sustainable recreational fisheries and fishing opportunities across the nation. Our work was guided by the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy and associated implementation plans. We updated the Policy in 2023 after an extensive public engagement process to better reflect the interests of the recreational fishing community. The combined regional and national recreational implementation plans identify nearly 150 agency commitments. They affirm our dedication to sustainable and accessible recreational fisheries across the country. 

Read highlights from across the country that demonstrate our dedication to fostering a thriving recreational fishing sector and healthy marine resources for future generations.

West Coast

In 2024, NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast team advanced its regional implementation plan for the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy. A key achievement was the California Groundfish Cooperative Data Collection program, partnering with 31 for-hire vessels from Crescent City to San Diego. Crews have collected more than 8,000 fish carcasses from 41 species since 2002. These samples fill critical biological data gaps for recreationally important groundfish like Quillback and Copper rockfish, supporting stock assessments and sustainable fisheries management. The West Coast team participated in five sportfishing shows, a saltwater fishing tournament, and a saltwater fishing podcast. Notably, they also hosted the first NOAA Fish Camp for underserved and underrepresented students. Campers learned about fish biology, marine ecology, and the scientific method by catching and sampling fish during a day of saltwater fishing.

Image

Progress

• Projects completed/continuous: 56 percent
• Projects initiated/in-progress: 32 percent
• Projects not started: 12 percent

Looking Ahead

A 2025 priority in the West Coast Implementation Plan is enhancing public access to recreational fisheries data. A recent Fisheries Information System grant will help NOAA Fisheries and RecFIN enhance access to data. It will improve data visualization, biological data integration, and coordination among state and federal agencies for stock assessments.

Southeast

NOAA Fisheries collaboratively launched two new programs in 2024 to improve angler satisfaction and fishing opportunities. In the South Atlantic, we approved and funded five exempted fishing permit projects. The goal was to explore new, innovative approaches for management, reduce red snapper dead discards, and increase fishing opportunities in the snapper-grouper fishery. In the Gulf of Mexico, we established the Recreational Fisheries Initiative in partnership with the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council and fishermen. Participants include scientists, recreational fishing industry leaders, private fishermen and federally permitted for-hire captains. The initiative is evaluating management strategies for red snapper, red grouper, gag grouper, greater amberjack, and gray triggerfish. It is exploring potential innovative management approaches that could be applied in the future. 

Image

Progress in the Southeast

• Projects completed/continuous: 71 percent
• Projects not started: 29 percent

Looking Ahead for the Southeast

In 2025, NOAA Fisheries Southeast will support a third workshop hosted by the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to develop recreational data standards and inform data collection priorities for state recreational data surveys. We will work together to develop a data management system for receiving, warehousing and disseminating state recreational survey data. NOAA Fisheries will also conduct coupled video-acoustic surveys to improve data collection of reef fish—specifically red snapper—in the Gulf of Mexico. We will use a combination of underwater video, imaging sonar, split-beam echosounder, and x-ray data to develop new methods to improve understanding of red snapper populations in the Gulf.

Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands Region staff completed a multi-year cooperative biological sampling project for mahimahi around Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. More than 80 anglers donated roughly 1,000 samples. The project was made possible by the participation of fishermen; it underscored the value of collaboration between NOAA Fisheries and the fishing community. The project substantially expanded scientific understanding of mahimahi dietary habits. Keith Kamikawa highlighted the results of the study at the 2024 American Fisheries Society meeting and in a NOAA technical memorandum. Many anglers remain engaged through ongoing pelagic sampling projects and fisheries meetings, strengthening relationships through continued in-person interaction.

Image

Progress in the Pacific Islands

• Projects completed/continuous: 60 percent

• In-Progress: 10 percent

• Yet-to-be-Started: 30 percent

Looking Ahead for the Pacific Islands

A key 2025 priority is fostering in-person engagement while coordinating new fisheries management and data initiatives. Planned engagements include: 

• Western Pacific stock assessment reviews
• Main Hawaiian Islands uku pilot project
• Pacific Islands Region roundtable
• University of Hawaii’s Mānoa’s fisheries graduate program

These efforts aim to build trust, strengthen relationships, and develop future fisheries managers through curriculum development and faculty collaboration. Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and Regional Office staff will lead the first three initiatives and support the graduate program led by UH Mānoa.

Greater Atlantic

NOAA and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council scored an important win in 2024 providing greater stability and predictability in recreational fisheries while accounting for both the abundance of fish stocks and scientific variability. We successfully defended an innovative management approach providing greater management flexibility in the black sea bass fishery in court. The court determined the approach balances the goals of preventing overfishing and achieving optimal yield. In addition, we used a new model-based Decision Support Tool to develop state and federal recreational fishing measures for summer flounder and scup in 2024. The tool is the first of its kind in the nation. It is expected to improve the process to establish recreational management measures by more accurately forecasting recreational harvest. 

Image

Progress in the Greater Atlantic

• Projects completed/continuous: 50 percent
• Projects initiated/in-progress: 31 percent
• Projects not started: 19 percent

Looking Ahead for the Greater Atlantic

In 2025, NOAA will work with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to finalize a new action that includes alternatives to improve and replace existing management approaches for recreational measures in the Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass recreational fishery. These measures are expiring in late 2025. To support fishery management decision-making at the New England Fishery Management Council, we will train managers how to use a second Decision Support Tool to assess potential changes in recreational fishing regulations for cod and haddock in the Western Gulf of Maine for Fiscal Year 2025, through a series of hands-on training sessions. 

Atlantic Highly Migratory Species

In 2024, the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division advanced key recreational initiatives. In partnership with the Office of Science and Technology, we submitted an improved Large Pelagics Survey design for certification by NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Recreational Information Program. We streamlined and improved data collection by publishing a proposed rule for electronic logbook reporting for HMS Charter/Headboat permit holders. The new requirements would better align reporting with other regional data collection programs and integrate catch reporting into Bluefin Data LLC’s VESL platform. We completed a climate vulnerability assessment that can inform research and management priorities. Finally, we published bilingual species identification guides and compliance materials for tunas, billfish, and Caribbean sharks  to better reach non-English speaking fishery participants.

Image

Progress for the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division

• Projects completed/continuous: 19 percent

• Projects initiated/in-progress: 69 percent

• Yet-to-be-started: 12 percent

Looking Ahead 

Our top 2025 priority is completing Marine Recreational Information Program certification for the improved LPS design and developing a calibration model to re-estimate the HMS recreational catch time series. These steps are crucial for implementing the improved survey design in 2026 and providing more accurate and statistically robust catch estimates for the HMS recreational fishery.

Alaska

In 2024, NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region moved to develop a charter (guided sport) halibut stamp program that will be used as a funding mechanism for the Recreational Quota Entity, a non-profit that represents charter halibut businesses. Its primary function is to buy available commercial halibut quota, which would shift a portion of the annual halibut allocation from the commercial fishery to the charter fishery. This effort stems from a 2023 amendment to the Magnuson-Stevens Act that authorizes the fee collection. NOAA Fisheries designed all steps of the implementation for this project in 2024 and issued a proposed rule for the program in November 2024. 

Progress

• Projects initiated/in-progress: 100 percent

Looking Ahead

We are targeting full implementation of the halibut stamp program in early 2025. This effort will entail issuing roughly 200,000 daily halibut stamps per year, and collecting approximately $4 million in fees from charter operators. Issuance of the halibut stamps and payments will be fully electronic and operated out of the NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office.