Captains back NOAA fishing registry

In an effort to collect better information about who is catching what and where, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries Service is creating a national saltwater angler registry — a phone book of saltwater recreational anglers.
And the move may cost anglers who fish from piers, bridges and the surf.

The registry will include just enough information to make it possible to contact anglers to conduct surveys on amounts of fish caught.

So instead of asking a random sample of coastal residents if they’ve gone fishing, a registry would allow surveyors to call upon those who are identified as saltwater fishermen.

“A national registry is a move in the right direction,” said Capt. Scott Robson, who is the co-president of the Destin Charter Boat Association. “It’s a better direction than they’ve been in, which was just calling people at random.”
The registry is a result of a requirement passed by Congress in 2007, and the registration was to go into effect this month but it has been put off a year to give states time to comply.

NOAA will exempt anglers from the federal registration rules if they are licensed in states that have a system to provide complete information on their saltwater anglers.
Florida, however, has a “gap.”

The “gap” is the angler who fishes from the surf, pier or bridge. They currently don’t have to carry a saltwater fishing license under law, so there catches are unaccounted for.

According to Half Hitch Tackle in Destin, the cost of a one-year saltwater fishing license for a Florida resident is $17.50.
Florida can fill the gap by requiring anglers who fish from a land based structure to have a saltwater license — which is what the FWC is requesting the Florida Legislature consider.

With the land-based fisherman licensed, Florida would meet the exemption.

Capt. Steve Hauesler of the charter boat First Light says that all saltwater fishermen should be accounted for.

“I don’t think it is a bad thing,” Hauseler said. “It’s just more accountability ... so they can see who is fishing.”

“The time has come,” Capt. Mike Eller of the Lady ‘Em and co-president of the DCBA. “We have to identify everybody, because they (the regulators) keep over-estimating how many people are fishing.”

“If you fish, you’re a player on the team. You’ve got to step up to the plate and be identified. We’ve got to count all the people and all the fish,” which he said should give better data to the federal regulators.

“It’s a little intrusive, but very much needed, to get real numbers,” Eller added.

Robson recognizes that under the new system some anglers will have to buy a license.

“But in the long run, we should get a truer picture of who is out there fishing,” he said. “The more accurate number you can give, it will better the science and paint a better picture.”

As a matter of fact, Robson was disappointed that NOAA put it off a year.

“The longer it gets delayed with bogus numbers, the coastal cities will suffer,” he said. “In the long run, it’s going to help all saltwater fishermen.”

The reason for the delay, according to Monica Allen who is with public affairs at NOAA, was that they had received numerous calls from other states that were moving in the right direction but needed more time.

“We just want to give them time to fill their gaps,” she said.

The federal registrations will include the angler’s name, date of birth, address, telephone number and the regions where they intend to fish, according to Allen.

Anglers from non-exempted states are required to be registered by January 2010 at no cost, Allen said. In 2011 a small fee of $15 to $25 may be charged if Florida has not filled the gap for exemption.

For more information about the saltwater registry go to www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.