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U.S. MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES 



DATA COLLECTION . While data on commercial fisheries was 

 collected for many years, prior to 1979 there was no 

 continuous, systematic collection of marine recreational fishery 

 data. Detailed information on marine recreational fishing is 

 required to support a variety of fishery management and 

 development purposes and is mandated by the Magnuson 

 Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Public Law 94- 

 265, as amended. Therefore, NMFS began the 

 comprehensive Marine Recreational Fishery Statistical Survey 

 (MRFSS) in 1979. Data collected through the MRFSS show 

 that recreational fisheries have tremendous impacts on fish 

 stocks. For several important species recreational landings 

 surpass commercial landings. 



The MRFSS data collection consists of an intercept 

 survey of anglers in the field and a telephone survey of coastal 

 county households. These independent components, along 

 with census information, are combined to produce estimates of 

 recreational catch, effort, and participation. Estimates are 

 generated by subregion, state, species, mode and primary area 

 fished. In addition, information on catch rates and 

 measurements of fish lengths and weights are obtained. 



The MRFSS is being conducted in 1997 along the 

 coast of the entire continental United States except the state of 

 Texas. The MRFSS was conducted in the following areas and 

 years: 



Atlantic and Gulf (except Texas), 1979-1996; 



Texas 1981-1995; 



Pacific (not including Alaska), mid-1979 through 



1989, 1993- 1996; 

 Western Pacific, 1979 through 1981; and 

 Caribbean, 1979, 1981. 



In 1 995, the MRFSS estimation process was updated 

 to reflect results of statistical research on the survey. 

 Improvements included 1) statistical substitution for missing 

 data, 2) replacement of missing weights, and 3) telephone 

 survey sample weighting by county. Atlantic and Gulf coast 

 data for all years were also run through rigorous cleaning 

 programs. Pacific coast data for 1993-1996 were also cleaned, 

 while cleaning of 1981-1989 is underway. Due to the updating 

 of the statistical process, historical estimates for 1981 to 1993 

 for the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and for 1 993 for the Pacific 

 coast were recalculated. Data from 1979-1980 were not 

 recalculated since telephone data by county were not kept in 

 those years. This publication contains the new estimates for all 

 years since 1981 . Old MRFSS publications are now obsolete 

 and should be discarded. Most estimates did not change 

 dramatically, and in all cases, fisheries trends did not change. 



Estimates of trips, participation and catch from the 

 MRFSS for the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts for 1996 are 

 presented in the following tables. Data from other NMFS and 

 state surveys (SE head boats, Texas, California Passenger 

 Fishing Vessels (for-hire), Oregon and Washington ocean boat 

 fishing, Pacific coast salmon estimates, and Alaska) are not 

 included here in order to show the revised MRFSS historical 

 data. 



DATA TABLES . The total number of fish caught and the 

 weight of the harvest are presented for sixty-four commonly 

 caught species on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. Total 

 number caught includes fish which were brought ashore in 

 whole form and were available for identification, weighing, and 

 measuring as well as fish which were not available for 

 identification. This latter category includes fish which were 

 used for bait, discarded, filleted or released alive. 



Trips and numbers of participants are presented by 

 state and total catch and harvest weight estimates are 

 presented by subregion. Weight estimates apply to harvest, 

 not catch, and do not include fish that were released alive. 

 Total catch in numbers of fish do include fish that were 

 released alive. Catch and harvest weight estimates are also 

 shown by primary fishing area. The fishing areas are: state 

 territorial seas, or ocean 3 miles or less from land; Exclusive 

 Economic Zone (EEZ), or ocean more than 3 miles from land; 

 and inland (sounds, rivers, bays). The state territorial sea for 

 Florida's Gulf coast is 10 miles or less from land. 



All estimates are shown with their proportional 

 standard errors (PSE). PSE's express the standard error of an 

 estimate as a percentage of the estimate and are a measure of 

 precision. Usual (95%) confidence intervals for estimates are 

 calculated as a bwer limit of the estimate minus 1 .96 times the 

 standard error and an upper limit of the estimate plus 1 .96 

 times the standard error. Example: Estimated trips of 64 million 

 with a PSE of 1% means an upper limit of 65,254,400 (1.96 

 times 1% of 64 milfon) and a lower limit of 62,745,600. A 95% 

 confidence interval indicates a 95% certainty that the true value 

 lies between the lower and upper limits. 



Sampling coverage by wave (two-month sampling 

 periods) has varied across the time series. More detailed 

 information as well as the ability to summarize data by year, 

 wave, state, fishing mode and/or area are available on the 

 Fisheries Statistics and Economics web page 

 (http://remorassp.nmfs.gov) and will be available in a separate 

 MRFSS report to be published later. 



