U.S. MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERIES 



27 



1996MRFSS DATA . In 1 996, over 8 million people made 64 

 milion marine recreational fishing trips on the Atlantic, Gulf and 

 Pacific coasts. The marine recreational finfish catch in 1996 

 was an estimated 313 million fish. Over 50% percent of the 

 catch was released alive. The total weight of the harvest 

 (excluding fish released alive) was an estimated 208 million 

 pounds. 



The Atlantic and Gulf coasts accounted for 79% of 

 the participants, 88% of the fishing trips, and 89% of the total 

 U.S. marine recreational finfish catch by number. Nationwide, 

 55% of the catch came from inland waters, 31% came from 

 state territorial seas, and 13% came from the EEZ. This 

 distribution is different for the Atlantic and Gulf versus the 

 Pacific coasts. On the Atlantic and Gulf coasts the majority of 

 the catch was from inland waters, while on the Pacific coast, 

 the majority of the catch was from the state territorial seas. 



ATLANTIC AND GULF . The number of Atlantic and Gulf 

 coast trips made from 1981 to 1996 ranged from a low of 44 

 milion trips in 1 981 to a high of 60 million in 1 986 with no clear 

 trend. The number of people engaged in marine recreational 

 fishing on the Atlantic and Gulf coast ranged from a low of 6.3 

 million in 1989 to a high of 8.9 million in 1983. In 1996, 8.8 

 marine recreational fishing participants took 56 million trips and 

 caught a total of 280 million fish. 



By subregion, the Gulf of Mexico accounted for the 

 highest numbers of fish caught (42%) in 1996 followed by the 

 Mid-Atlantic (31%). Thirty percent of the Atlantic and Gulf 

 coast recreational fishing trips were made in the South Atlantic, 

 29% in the Gulf of Mexico, 29% in the Mid-Atlantic, and 12% 

 in the North Atlantic. 



The most commonly caught non-bait species 

 (numbers of fish) in 1996 were spotted seatrout, summer 

 fbunder, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish, and striped 

 bass. Top-ranked non-bait species by subregion were striped 

 bass in the North Atlantic, summer flounder in the Mid-Atlantic, 

 spot in the South Atlantic, and spotted seatrout in the Gulf of 

 Mexico. By weight, the largest harvests were bluefish, striped 

 bass, red drum, dolphin, spotted seatrout, summer flounder, 

 and king mackerel. Average weights for all fish combined was 



1 .5 pounds while the average weight for the top harvests were 

 3.2 pounds for bluefish, 1 1 .2 for striped bass, 4.6 for red drum, 



7.6 for dolphin, 1.3 for spotted seatrout, 1.4 for summer 

 flounder, and 9.9 for king mackerel. 



Although there is no clear trend for all species 

 combined, historical trends in number of fish caught do appear 

 for some species. Spotted seatrout catch increased since the 

 early 1980's from less than 15 million fish to about 20 million. 

 Summer fbunder catches were 13 million or more fish until two 



very low years with less than 1 million fish in 1 989 and 1 990, 

 followed by an increase back to levels similar to the early 

 1 980's. Most of the decrease in 1989-1990 occurred in the 

 Mid-Atlantic. Atlantic croaker and black sea bass showed no 

 clear trends. Bluefish show a general decrease in numbers 

 caught from highs near 30 million fish in the early 1980's to 

 bws near 1 milion fish since 1 992. The catch of striped bass 

 increased steadily and dramatically since 1 990 with a record 

 catch of over 14 million fish in 1996. Over 90% of these fish 

 were released alive in 1996. 



Thirteen percent of the total marine recreational catch 

 on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts came from the EEZ. The most 

 commonly caught species in federally managed waters were 

 black sea bass, Atlantic mackerel, dolphin, red snapper, and 

 bluefish. 



PACIFIC. In 1 996, 1 .8 marine recreational fishing participants 

 took 7.8 million trips on the Pacific coast and caught a total of 

 34 million fish. Seventy-three percent of the Pacific coast 

 recreational fishing trips (excluding salmon and California for- 

 hire boat trips) were made in California, followed by 21% in 

 Washington, and 6% in Oregon. 



Commonly caught species in 1 996 (by numbers) were 

 Pacific mackerel, surf smelt, white croaker, kelp bass and 

 barred sand bass. By weight, the largest harvests were 

 California halibut, Pacific mackerel, black rockfish, barred 

 sandbass, and lingcod. Average weights for all fish combined 

 was 1 . 1 pounds while the average weight for the top harvests 

 were 7.7 pounds for California halibut, 0.9 for Pacific (chub) 

 mackerel, 1.9 for black rockfish, 1 .6 for barred sandbass, and 

 6.7 for lingcod. 



Historical trends in number of fish can not be 

 examined until the 1981-1989 estimates are recalculated; 

 however, there are some changes that should be noted. In 

 1 996, surf smelt jumped from the 1 993-1 995 average of a little 

 over a million fish to almost 5 million fish. California halibut 

 catch steadily increased from 347,000 fish in 1 993 to 712,000 

 fish in 1996. Pacific mackerel reached a 4-year high in 1996 

 with 5.5 million fish caught. It should be noted, however, that 

 the 1996 data include Washington state catches whereas the 

 1993-1995 data do not. 



Eleven percent of the total marine recreational catch 

 on the Pacific coast came from the EEZ. The most commonly 

 caught Pacific coast species in federally managed waters for 

 1996 were Pacific mackerel, barred sand bass, Pacific 

 barracuda, kelp bass, and white croaker. The percent of the 

 catch from the state territorial sea dropped from above 65% in 

 1993-1995 to 51% in 1996, while the inland catch increased 

 from 13-17% to 38% of the catch. 



