Survey To Collect Economic Data From Recreational Anglers Along the Atlantic Coast

This request is for a revision and extension to a currently approved information collection. The first data collection effort in 2019 under OMB Control Number 0648–0783 was to assess how changes in saltwater recreational fishing regulations affect angler effort, angler welfare, fishing mortality, and future stock levels. That data collection effort focused on anglers who fished for Atlantic cod and haddock off the Atlantic coast from Maine to Massachusetts (North Atlantic Recreational Fishing Survey I). In 2020, the collection was revised to remove the cod and haddock survey and add a survey focused on anglers who fish for summer flounder, black sea bass, and scup along the Atlantic coast from Massachusetts to North Carolina (North Atlantic Recreational Fishing Survey II). In 2022, the collection was revised again to re-add the original cod and haddock survey back to this control number (North Atlantic Recreational Fishing Survey III). This revision will re-add the survey focused on summer flounder, black sea bass, and scup (North Atlantic Recreational Fishing Survey IV) that was inadvertently removed in the last revision. The objective of these surveys will remain exactly the same as the previous surveys conducted under this control number. That is, to statistically assess how anglers respond to changes in management options and fishing regulations (e.g., bag limits, size limits, dates of open seasons, etc.). The survey data will provide the information fisheries managers need to conduct updated analysis of the socio-economic effects to recreational anglers and to coastal communities of proposed changes in fishing regulations. The recreational fishing community and regional fisheries management councils now rely on species-specific socio-economic studies of recreational fishing for analyses of fisheries policies. These surveys will address the stated need for more species-specific studies.

The latest form for Survey To Collect Economic Data From Recreational Anglers Along the Atlantic Coast expires 2029-06-30 and is listed under ICR 202406-0648-017.

NARFS III

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Natural Resources - Recreational Resource Management and Tourism

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