For-Hire Survey

The ACCSP's State and Federal Partners Begin Survey of Recreational Fishing Vessels

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2003 - The 23 state and federal partners of the ACCSP announced Monday the launch of the For-Hire Survey, a standardized data collection system designed to improve recreational fishing and biological information from charter boats and party/headboats, providing fishery managers with better data for responsible management of Atlantic fish stocks.

The For-Hire Survey collects (1) fishing "effort data," including numbers of trips and passengers taken in a given week, through weekly telephone sampling of for-hire captains, (2) "catch data" through in-person interviews with for-hire patrons at dockside access-points, and (3) "validation data" through dockside observations to correct for reporting errors. Catch interviews are ongoing since 1981, as part of the Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey(MRFSS), but the new approach for charter and headboats began June 9, 2003.

"The traditional MRFSS never gave us adequate estimates of catch and effort from charter boats and headboats. It's better suited to private boats and shore fishing," said Bruce Joule of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. "The modified For-Hire procedure has proven a far better method for getting information from the for-hire industry, both in statistical accuracy and precision."

The For-Hire Survey began in Maine in 1995, and spread to the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and California based on its success. Twelve other Atlantic coastal states have now adopted the For-Hire Survey as the preferred methodology for collecting data from the for-hire sector. They are New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The For-Hire Survey is not designed to replace for-hire logbook programs mandated by statute, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service's vessel trip reports, or the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' logbook program. However, the survey will be integrated with these programs to minimize reporting burden on vessel captains.

Given the success of the For-Hire Survey in other areas, the resource managers of Connecticut, South Carolina, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) plan to phase-out their logbook requirements for vessels for-hire following a benchmarking period with the new survey.

In addition to the catch and effort data collected through the For-Hire Survey, the party/headboat fleet will be randomly selected to carry at-sea samplers. Trained personnel will pay the selected vessel's usual fare to collect length and weight measurements on caught and released species, as well as other biological data, while the boat is at sea. Combined with other data from the For-Hire Survey, biological and bycatch data will help support stock assessment science.

"We are pleased that the state and federal partners of the Atlantic coast have adopted the For-Hire Survey," said Maury Osborn, ACCSP Director. "This is the single largest improvement that could be made to the accuracy and precision of data for the for-hire fishery."