Outreach and Education from the Marine Recreational Information Program

The Marine Recreational Information Program works through its Communications and Education Team to strengthen understanding of our data collection methods and build confidence in our recreational catch estimates. Working with our state and regional partners, we have developed outreach and educational materials that explain how data are collected, how estimates are produced, and how these estimates support sound science and management. Those materials are catalogued here. To request printed copies of brochures, rack cards, and fact sheets, please email NMFS.MRIP@noaa.gov.

Additional documents, such as strategic plans, implementation plans, and manuals, can be found in the NOAA Fisheries Resource Library.

Subscribe to the MRIP Newscast to receive news and information from the program. Subscribe to the MRIP Data Update Email Service to receive notifications of updates to our datasets, estimates, queries, and custom domain estimation programs.

General Outreach

Web Series: Ask MRIP

This web series answers frequent questions about the science and statistics that support sustainable fishing.

• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About Recreational Fishing Data Collection
• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About Estimating Recreational Catch
• Ask MRIP: Answering Your Questions About Survey Errors

Brochure: Your Fishing Counts

This brochure explains how we collect recreational fishing data and produce estimates.

Wallet Card: Better Data, Better Fishing

This wallet card provides anglers with a pocket-sized reminder of how they can learn more about recreational fishing data.

Access Point Angler Intercept Survey

Fact Sheet: APAIS At-a-Glance

This fact sheet answers common questions about our shoreside intercept survey.

Regional Rack Cards: Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico

These regional rack cards explain how we use shoreside intercept surveys to collect catch data from recreational anglers.

State Rack Cards: Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Georgia

These rack cards provide state-specific snapshots of recreational fishing, from the top species caught in 2019 to the number of saltwater access sites listed in the Marine Recreational Information Program’s online register.

Infographic: Public Fishing Access Site Register

This infographic explains how our online database of saltwater fishing access sites helps us determine when and where state-based field interviewers will conduct our shoreside intercept survey.

Video: How We Count Your Catch (05:12)

This video explains how participating in our shoreside intercept survey allows recreational anglers to play a critical role in supporting sustainable fishing opportunities.

Video: Addressing Bias (05:25)

This video explains how shoreside intercept survey protocols have improved the quality of our data and reduced the potential for bias in our recreational fishing estimates.

Fishing Effort Survey

Fact Sheet: FES At-a-Glance

This fact sheet answers common questions about our mail survey of fishing activity.

For-Hire Data Collection

Regional Rack Card and Fact Sheet: For-Hire Data Collection in the Greater Atlantic

These products provide an overview of the programs that are used to collect recreational fishing data from for-hire captains and clients in the Greater Atlantic. They explain how NOAA Fisheries and its partners are working to streamline reporting, and demonstrate how captains and crew can help support the conservation and management of U.S. fish stocks.

State Rack Card: Delaware

This rack card provides an overview of the data we collect from for-hire captains, crew, and clients in the state of Delaware.

Infographic: For-Hire Data Collection Programs

This infographic illustrates the complementary data collection programs NOAA Fisheries uses to collect information about for-hire fishing activity along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. A printable version (PDF, 2 pages) is also available.

Large Pelagics Survey

Rack Card: Estimating Large Pelagic Catch: What Anglers Need to Know

This rack card explains how we collect information from private and for-hire fishing trips targeting tuna, sharks, billfish, swordfish, mahi, wahoo, and other offshore species to estimate total catch and release for large pelagic species.

Estimation

Video: From an Interview to an Estimate: Understanding How NOAA Fisheries Estimates Recreational Catch (31:35)

This presentation explains how NOAA Fisheries turns recreational fishing data into catch and effort estimates, using statistical weighting to ensure the representativeness of our sample. Supporting materials can be found on our Estimation Methods Overview page.

Data User Seminar Series

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 1: An Introduction to MRIP Data (74:12)

This recording of the first virtual event in NOAA Fisheries’ 2021-2022 MRIP Data User Seminar Series provides an overview of the agency’s marine recreational fishing data, including data products, uses, limitations, and standards. Supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation, can be found on the first Data User Seminar event page.

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 2: Statistical Methods and Procedures (113:38)

This recording of the second virtual event in NOAA Fisheries’ 2021-2022 MRIP Data User Seminar Series provides an overview of the program's survey designs and statistical methods, with a focus on the program's three general recreational fishing surveys. Supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation, can be found on the second Data User Seminar event page.

Video: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 3: MRIP Query Tool (65:40)

This recording of the third virtual event in NOAA Fisheries' 2021-2022 MRIP Data User Seminar Series provides an overview of how the MRIP Query Tool can be used to filter NOAA Fisheries’ recreational catch and effort statistics by time series, geographic area, species, mode, and other characteristics. Supporting materials, including a PDF of the presentation, can be found on the third Data User Seminar event page.

Videos: MRIP Data User Seminar Series 4: Custom Domain Analyses Part One (100:24) and Custom Domain Analyses Part Two (86:59)

These recordings of the fourth virtual event in NOAA Fisheries' 2021-2022 MRIP Data User Seminar Series provides examples (using SAS software) of how the Marine Recreational Information Program’s template programs and public-use datasets may be used to produce custom estimates. Examples covered in part one include estimates for user-defined geographic and temporal domains, as well as directed trip estimates. Examples covered in part two include directed trip estimates, length frequencies, catch frequencies, multi-year or moving average estimates, and simple outlier analysis. Supporting materials, including PDFs of the presentations, can be found on the seminar's event page.

More Information

• Frequently Asked Questions About MRIP