NOAA to Create Saltwater Angler Registry in 2010

[The Broken One]

NOAA Fisheries Service has released a final rule to create a national saltwater angler registry of all marine recreational fishermen. The improved quality of recreational fishing data achieved through a national registry will help demonstrate the economic value of saltwater recreational fishing, and will provide a more complete picture of how recreational fishing is affecting fish stocks. This kind of information is essential to NOAA’s goal to end overfishing as required under the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

The final rule requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters to be included in the national saltwater angler registry by Jan. 1, 2010. NOAA will exempt anglers if they are licensed in states that provide complete information on their saltwater anglers to the national registry. NOAA had originally proposed that registration be required beginning Jan. 1, 2009, but based on public input decided to give states another year to put in place their own data collection systems. The registry is one component of the agency's new Marine Recreational Information Program, an initiative to enhance data collection on recreational catch and effort.

For more information, visit http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.

[Bucktail]

NOAA had originally proposed that registration be required beginning Jan. 1, 2009, but based on public input decided to give states another year to put in place their own data collection systems.

How kind of them.

[IrishAyes]

Free for first year...then break out your wallet. 

[bassnblues]

The final rule requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters to be included in the national saltwater angler registry by Jan. 1, 2010.

Does this mean you only need to register if you 3 miles (or whatever the federal vs. state line is) out?

[wb]

better to call it what it is-

SALTWATER FISHING LICENSE

You can bet it won't be free...

Just like the Dr. Wu told Freddy Mercury
Open mouth, not hurt so much.... 

[IrishAyes]

The final rule requires anglers and spearfishers who fish recreationally in federal ocean waters to be included in the national saltwater angler registry by Jan. 1, 2010.

Does this mean you only need to register if you 3 miles (or whatever the federal vs. state line is) out?

Of course not. Do you believe our heralded government would leave the surf and back bay guys out? Do you realize how many guys only fish the surf or back bays and the money they would loose from that?!?!

Here is an explaination of who is required to register/have a salt water license.
As currently drafted, the requirement will affect “anyone who fishes in federal waters (3 to 200 miles from shore), as well as anyone who fishes anywhere for ‘anadromous’ species such as striped bass,”
But then again, this is being done only so they can have a better handle on the fish that are being caught (cough, cough) and not another grab at our pocketbook. Hummmmmmm, they did pretty much deplete the pension funds, unemployment funds and a few others to try to balance the budget. 

[Bucktail]

Here is an explaination of who is required to register/have a salt water license.
As currently drafted, the requirement will affect “anyone who fishes in federal waters (3 to 200 miles from shore), as well as anyone who fishes anywhere for ‘anadromous’ species such as striped bass,”  

Hmmm...  Interesting.

So if a guy is soaking a chunk of bunker or tossing a bucktail from the beach who's to say that they are not fishing for bluefish or fluke?  Neither of those are anadromous.

[CapBob]

Lets just call it what it is.........

A FISHING TAX!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ped579]

   A license by any other name is simply a TAX.

In this case it is truly with our representation.

When will enough be enough?