Information for Anglers
Toward More Trusted Data
The Marine Recreational Information Program, or MRIP, is a new data collection and reporting effort created by NOAA Fisheries and a broad collection of partners including state agencies, marine scientists, stock assessors, recreational fishermen, businesses small and large that serve recreational fishermen, coastal communities, ocean enthusiasts and conservationists, and a host of others with a stake in sustainable, abundant ocean resources.
Simply put, MRIP is about generating better estimates of anglers’ catch and effort. Better data allows for more informed decision-making which in turn will help us preserve and enhance our country’s strong tradition of recreational saltwater fishing.
MRIP is not a silver bullet that will solve all fisheries management issues or on its own settle debates over ocean policy. And implementing a new data program will not necessarily mean that individual fisherman can catch more fish than they can under current regulations. That’s not its purpose.
MRIP is about improving the reliability of fishing data, doing a better job of quantifying the impacts of recreational fishermen, and empowering recreational anglers with better information. It is a tool that will enable everyone to use the same yardstick by which to measure important fisheries management decisions.
Working In Partnership
MRIP is being developed from the ground up as a cooperative effort. It involves the input of people who gather the data, people who use the data to make management decisions, and the fishermen, charter boat operators, bait and tackle shops, coastal communities and others who are directly impacted by the those decisions.
MRIP is sharpening the tools already used to gather angler catch and effort data while at the same time exploring new and improved ways of gathering more detailed and timely information. Working hand in hand with fishermen, pilot projects are taking place from docksides to deep water in saltwater recreational fisheries across the country.
Anglers As Citizen Scientists
As eyes and ears on the water, recreational anglers serve a vital role as citizen scientists. Without the feedback and participation of anglers in the data collection and the decision-making process, NOAA can’t gather good data, managers can’t make science-based decisions, and no one can be sure whether policies based on that data reflect the needs of all our constituents.
Our Commitment To You
MRIP begins and ends with the realization that numbers do not exist in vacuum. The data we gather and report, and the way in which we go about collecting and sharing that data, have real impacts on people’s lives and livelihoods, and on the oceans we are all jointly committed to preserving for generations to come. So whether you’re a person who makes their living from fishing, or feeds their family from their catch, or simply just likes to get out on the water once a summer, you have a stake in MRIP’s success and we have a responsibility to you.
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