Appendix D
Excerpt from Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006
TITLE II—INFORMATION AND RESEARCH
SEC. 201. RECREATIONAL FISHERIES INFORMATION.
Section 401 (16 U.S.C. 1881) is amended by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:
“(g) RECREATIONAL FISHERIES.—
“(1) FEDERAL PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall establish and implement a regionally based registry program for recreational fishermen in each of the 8 fishery management regions. The program, which shall not require a fee before January 1, 2011, shall provide for—
“(A) the registration (including identification and contact information) of individuals who engage in recreational fishing—
“(i) in the Exclusive Economic Zone;
“(ii) for anadromous species; or
“(iii) for Continental Shelf fishery resources beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone; and
“(B) if appropriate, the registration (including the ownership, operator, and identification of the vessel) of vessels used in such fishing.
“(2) STATE PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall exempt from registration under the program recreational fishermen and charter fishing vessels licensed, permitted, or registered under the laws of a State if the Secretary determines that information from the State program is suitable for the Secretary’s use or is used to assist in completing marine recreational fisheries
statistical surveys, or evaluating the effects of proposed conservation and management measures for marine recreational fisheries.
“(3) DATA COLLECTION.—
“(A) IMPROVEMENT OF THE MARINE RECREATIONAL FISHERY STATISTICS SURVEY.—Within 24 months after the date of enactment of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, the Secretary, in consultation with representatives of the recreational fishing industry and experts in statistics, technology, and other appropriate fields, shall establish a program to improve the quality and accuracy of information generated by the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey, with a goal of achieving acceptable accuracy and utility for each individual fishery.
“(B) NRC REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS.—The program shall take into consideration and, to the maximum extent feasible, implement the recommendations of the National Research Council in its report Review of Recreational Fisheries Survey Methods (2006), including—
“(i) redesigning the Survey to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of sampling and estimation procedures, its applicability to various kinds of management decisions, and its usefulness for social and economic analyses; and
“(ii) providing for ongoing technical evaluation and modification as needed to meet emerging management needs.
“(C) METHODOLOGY.—Unless the Secretary determines that alternate methods will achieve this goal more efficiently and effectively, the program shall, to the extent possible, include—
“(i) an adequate number of dockside interviews to accurately estimate recreational catch and effort;
“(ii) use of surveys that target anglers registered or licensed at the State or Federal level to collect participation and effort data;
“(iii) collection and analysis of vessel trip report data from charter fishing vessels; and
“(iv) development of a weather corrective factor that can be applied to recreational catch and effort estimates.
“(D) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall complete the program under this paragraph and implement the improved Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey not later than January 1, 2009.
“(4) REPORT.—Within 24 months after establishment of the program, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that describes the progress made toward achieving the goals and objectives of the program..”
