Marine Recreational Information Program Teams
Members of the MRIP partnership are invited to serve on collaborative teams.
Executive Steering Committee
The Executive Steering Committee (ESC) monitors the work of MRIP Teams and overall progress of MRIP, and identifies resource needs and program priorities for consideration by NOAA Fisheries. It also provides a process for overseeing the certification of new and improved recreational fisheries survey designs. Members of the ESC provide a connection between MRIP and federal and state marine fisheries agencies, interstate marine fisheries commissions, regional fishery management councils, and MAFAC.
ESC Members
The ESC includes senior managers and representatives from NOAA Fisheries and interstate marine fisheries commissions, as well as participants from the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) and the eight regional fishery management councils.
Evan Howell (Chair)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Gordon Colvin (Executive Secretary)
NOAA Fisheries Affiliate, Office of Science & Technology
Robert Beal
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Kelly Denit
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Sustainable Fisheries
David Detlor
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Dave Donaldson
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Russ Dunn
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Assistant Administrator
Kurt Iverson
NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Regional Office
Clay Porch
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center
Barry Thom Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
ESC Participants
Kellie Ralston
Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee
Miguel Rolon
Caribbean Fishery Management Council
Kitty Simonds
Western Pacific Fishery Management Council
Program Management Team
The Program Management Team:
- Identifies policy and process needs, develops policy advice, drafts policy and procedural documents, and oversees the maintenance of the MRIP Procedures Manual.
- Maintains the MRIP Strategic Plan; oversees, monitors, and assures the completion of Strategic Plan Tactics and Annual Implementation Plan deliverables; and develops the Annual Implementation Plan Update.
- Serves as a liaison to MRIP Regional Implementation Teams.
Program Management Team Members
The Program Management Team includes the MRIP Program Manager, the Executive Secretary of the ESC, and the MRIP Team Leads.
Richard Cody
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Gordon Colvin
NOAA Fisheries Affiliate, Office of Science & Technology
David Detlor
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Lauren Dolinger Few
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
John Foster
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Katherine Papacostas (MRIP Program Manager)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Mike Ruccio
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Sustainable Fisheries
Sarah Lazo
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
The Core Business Team includes the Fisheries Statistics Division Chief, Recreational Branch Chief, and MRIP Program Manager, as well as contractor staff assigned to program management support.
Richard Cody
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Gordon Colvin
NOAA Fisheries Affiliate, Office of Science & Technology
Lauren Dolinger Few
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
John Foster
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Katherine Papacostas (MRIP Program Manager)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Sarah Lazo
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Program Management Team Documents
Program Management Team Terms of Reference (PDF, 2 pages). This document describes the goals; member expertise, roles, and responsibilities; and communication, reporting, and information and data sharing practices of the MRIP Program Management Team.
Regional Implementation Teams
Regional Implementation Teams develop Regional Implementation Plans that identify regional recreational fishing catch and effort information needs based on unique management needs and priorities in each region. They also help coordinate regional review of relevant programmatic policies, standards, procedures and other documents.
Regional Implementation Team Members
In the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico, Regional Fishery Information Networks (FINs) serve as Regional Implementation Teams. Ad hoc Regional Implementation Teams have been formed in the Caribbean, Pacific Islands, and Alaska, and for highly migratory species in the Atlantic.
Regional Implementation Council Members
Gregg Bray
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Josh DeMello
Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council
Cliff Hutt
NOAA Fisheries, Highly Migratory Species
Philip Joy
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Marlowe Sabater
NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Sarah Stephenson
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office
Nancy Leonard
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
Geoff White
Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program
Regional Implementation Team Documents
Regional Implementation Team Terms of Reference (PDF, 2 pages). This document describes the goals; member expertise, roles, and responsibilities; and communication, reporting, and information and data-sharing practices of the MRIP Regional Implementation Teams. View Regional Implementation Plans.
Transition Team
- Develops and recommends a standardized process to ensure continued consistency of the critical long-term trend information that helps inform management decisions when implementing new or improved survey designs.
- Develops and recommends methods to compare historical estimates to estimates produced with new or improved survey designs, so meaningful comparisons can be made.
- Works collaboratively to establish guidelines on improved survey and estimation design implementation to minimize disruptions to stock assessments, catch monitoring, and management regulations to the greatest extent possible.
Transition Team Members
Richard Cody (Co-Chair)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Mike Ruccio (Co-Chair)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Sustainable Fisheries
Kevin Anson
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Carolyn Belcher
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Gregg Bray
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Jason Cope
NOAA Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Dave Gloeckner
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Fisheries Science Center
James Hilger
NOAA Fisheries, Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Matt Hill
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Cliff Hutt
NOAA Fisheries, Highly Migratory Species
Moira Kelly
NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
Toni Kerns
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Kathy Knowlton
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Michael Larkin
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office
Laura Lee
North Carolina Department of Environment & Natural Resources
Sabrina Lovell
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Hongguang Ma
NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Jason McNamee
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Richard Methot
NOAA Fisheries, Senior Scientist for Stock Assessment
Beverly Sauls
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Julie Scheurer
NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Regional Office
Mark Terceiro
NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Nancy Leonard
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
Transition Team Participants
Dave Bard
NOAA Fisheries Affiliate, Office of Science & Technology
John Carmichael
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Chip Collier
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
Jamie Cournane
New England Fishery Management Council
Jason Didden
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
John Froeschke
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Sarah Lazo
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Graciela García-Moliner
Caribbean Fishery Management Council
Marlowe Sabater
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Chris Wright
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Sustainable Fisheries
Transition Team Documents
Transition Team Terms of Reference (PDF, 1 page). This document describes the roles and responsibilities of the MRIP Transition Team.
Survey Operations Team
The Survey Operations Team works together to oversee the administration of survey operations to support national recreational fisheries data needs. This includes the conduct of survey methodologies and the management of information produced to meet MRIP standards. The Survey Operations Team:
- Coordinates the administration of MRIP surveys and information management for survey data and statistics.
- Works to ensure MRIP survey standards are applied in the implementation of certified survey designs.
- Reviews survey quality assurance and quality control measures.
- Participates in regional implementation planning.
Survey Operations Team Members
The Survey Operations Team includes Fisheries Statistics Division staff who support survey operations and information management. It also includes recreational fisheries data and survey operations managers from the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) and Fisheries Information Networks (FINs).
Lauren Dolinger Few (Team Lead)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Rob Andrews
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Gregg Bray
Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission
Alex DiJohnson
Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program
Jason Edwards
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
Hongguang Ma
NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
Adam Rettig
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Daemian Schreiber
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Survey Operations Team Documents
Survey Operations Team Terms of Reference (PDF, 2 pages). This document describes the goals; member expertise, roles, and responsibilities; and communication and reporting practices of the MRIP Survey Operations Team.
Research and Evaluation Team
The Research and Evaluation Team advises other MRIP Teams on topics relevant to survey methodology and sampling statistics. The Research and Evaluation Team:
- Prioritizes research needs identified in the MRIP Strategic Plan, Regional Implementation Plans, and annual Implementation Plan Updates.
- Develops mechanisms (e.g., ad hoc working groups, peer review panels, and requests for proposals) to test and evaluate new survey methods and potential improvements to existing methods.
- Evaluates survey designs for adherence to MRIP survey and data standards and industry best practices.
- Reviews project reports and provides recommendations regarding the acceptability of project methods, results, and conclusions.
- Evaluates and advises on catch and effort estimates identified for extended review through the estimate review process.
Research and Evaluation Team Members
The Research and Evaluation Team includes Fisheries Statistics Division statisticians and other Office of Science and Technology staff whose duties involve the development and/or application of survey methods or sampling statistics. The Research and Evaluation Team is supported by a team of statistical consultants.
John Foster (Team Lead)
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Rob Andrews
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Lucas Johansen
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Ryan Kitts-Jensen
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Yong-Woo Lee
NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science & Technology
Research and Evaluation Team Documents
Research and Evaluation Team Terms of Reference (PDF, 2 pages). This document describes the goals; member expertise, roles, and responsibilities; and communication and reporting practices of the MRIP Research and Evaluation Team.
Communications and Education Team
The Communications and Education Team supports MRIP's strategic communications and programmatic goals and enhances partnership and customer relationships. This team supports two regional communications working groups. The Greater Atlantic and Southeast working groups include a subset of the Communications and Education Team, as well as outreach staff from regional fishery management councils and interstate marine fisheries commissions. These teams identify regional outreach priorities and opportunities for regional collaboration.
Communications and Education Team Documents
Communications and Education Team Terms of Reference (PDF, 2 pages). This document describes the mission, structure, membership, and meeting schedule of the MRIP Communications and Education Team.