Data Management & Standards
The National Research Council review recommended greater standardization among regional surveys and between state surveys and national surveys. The following projects will ensure the comparability and compatibility of fishing statistics among regional data collection programs, while recognizing that each region has unique informational needs and data collection issues.
Inventory Data Collection Programs
The initial step toward data standardization is identifying and summarizing existing recreational fishing data collection programs. This project entails developing an inventory that includes current protocols for sampling, data collection, and processing; sampler training and evaluation, and site register maintenance; metadata standards; data management documentation; data elements and definitions; and data accessibility.
Minimum Data Elements and Regional/National Standards
Building on the above inventory, this project sets the groundwork for a single comprehensive database of saltwater recreational fishing catch and effort information that regional data collection programs would feed into. In order to create the database, it first will require identifying minimum data elements with standardized data codes and documenting data processing protocols. This project includes producing a preliminary system requirements document to ensure compatibility, outlining functional requirements of an integrated system, and developing end user interface options to make the system user-friendly.