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

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 state-specific rack cards provide a snapshot of recreational fishing in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, , New York, and Georgia, from the top species caught in 2019 to the number of saltwater access sites listed in the Marine Recreational Information Program’s online register. Additional Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island wallet cards explain how anglers can contribute to fisheries science and management by sharing their catch information with state field interviewers.

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.

Fact Sheet: Transitioning to a New Survey of Fishing Effort

This fact sheet explains the differences between new and legacy estimates of recreational saltwater fishing effort in the Mid-Atlantic.

Video: Three Things You Should Know about the FES (01:31)

This video explains how our mail survey of fishing activity has improved our understanding of fishing effort.

For-Hire Data Collection

Regional Fact Sheet: Greater Atlantic

This regional fact sheet explains how NOAA Fisheries collects for-hire fishing data in the Greater Atlantic. It describes the different data collection programs that are administered to captains and clients in the region, how Vessel Trip Reports complement the Marine Recreational Information Program’s For-Hire Survey, our work to streamline for-hire reporting, and how captains can help improve our understanding of recreational catch.

State Rack Card: Rhode Island

This state-specific rack card explains how NOAA Fisheries collects for-hire fishing data in Rhode Island. It describes the different data collection programs that are administered to captains and clients in the state, and how captains can help improve our understanding of recreational catch.

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. A state-specific Large Pelagics Survey rack card is also available for anglers in Maine.

Electronic Reporting

Fact Sheet: Implementing Electronic Reporting: The MRIP Action Plan

This fact sheet outlines our four-action plan to advance the use of electronic reporting in recreational fishing data collection.

Fact Sheet: Developing For-Hire Electronic Logbooks: The MRIP Road Map

This fact sheet describes our efforts to replace the random sampling of charter vessels with a complete census of all for-hire trips, as reported by vessel operators through electronic logbooks.

Estimation

Video: How Weighting Our Data Helps Make Your Catch Count (12:26)

This five-part video explains how we use weighting to ensure data collected through our sample surveys are properly represented in our final estimates.

Video: Re-estimating Catch (10:09)

This video explains how our estimation process, adopted in 2011, corrected some assumptions about our data collection methods, improved how we calculate recreational catch, and removed potential bias from historical data.

More Information

• NOAA Fisheries Insight: Marine Recreational Information Program