Starting Friday, you must register with NOAA if...

[njdiver]

Recreational saltwater fishermen will need to register if they:

Hold a license from one of 10 coastal states or territories which do not currently have comprehensive saltwater angler license or registration requirements—Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Fish for or are likely to catch anadromous species in tidal and salt waters; these are fish like river herring, shad, smelt and striped bass that live in the oceans but spawn in fresh water,

OR

Fish in the federal waters more than three miles from the ocean shore or from the mouths of rivers or bays.

Some anglers don’t have to register if they:

Hold a license from one of 15 coastal states with comprehensive licensing or registration — Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington;

Are not required under state law in one of these 15 states to hold a fishing license as is sometimes the case with seniors or active-duty military;
Are under age 16;

Pay to fish on licensed charter, party or guide boats;

Hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling permit or subsistence fishing permit;
Fish commercially under a valid license.

National Saltwater Angler registration is free in 2010. To register beginning Friday, anglers can visit NOAA's Marine Recreational Information Program and click on the Angler Registry link, or call the toll-free registration line at 1-888-MRIP411 (1-888-674-7411) from 4:00 am to 12 midnight EST daily.

Anglers will need to provide their name, date of birth, address and telephone number, and will receive a registration number that will allow them to begin fishing immediately. They will receive a registration card in the mail in about 30 days.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20091229_registry.html


Here is a site with flyer information for the States who's recreational fishermen must register:

http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/outreach.html

[IrishAyes]

Thanks for passing this along. 

[Fishin Dude]

Good info. <`[[[[><

[njdiver]

Subject: Angler Registry Launches Jan 1


Thought you would appreciate NOAA's formal announcement on the launch of the angler registry...
Please feel free to contact me with any questions in the office at 301-713-9501.
Forbes

__________________________________
To register, go to: http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/

NATIONAL SALTWATER ANGLER REGISTRY OPENS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

New program, part of improved data collection system, to help protect nation’s ocean resources

Saltwater recreational fishermen have long expressed concerns about the data used to estimate the effects of recreational fishing on ocean resources and the nation’s economy. The National Saltwater Angler Registry, which launches on Friday, will help address that concern by providing a comprehensive list of the nation’s saltwater anglers that will be used to improve surveys of fishermen. These surveys are used by NOAA scientists to assess the health of fish stocks and to estimate the economic contributions of anglers.

Many saltwater recreational fishermen will be required to register before fishing in 2010. The registry is open for registrations starting Friday, January 1. But if you have a state saltwater fishing license, you may already be part of the registry.

“Registering, recreational anglers will make their catch count," said Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “The National Saltwater Angler Registry is an important tool that will enable us to better estimate the health of marine fisheries so that we’re able to preserve the pastime of recreational saltwater fishing for generations to come."

“Recreational fishers need the registry,” says Capt. Monty Hawkins, a party boat operator and recreational fishing advocate based in Ocean City, Md. “People’s lives depend on the quality of the government’s information. It’s the basis for management decisions on everything from creel limits to whether to shut down whole sections of the coast. I’ve been harshly critical of recreational fishing data in the past, but I welcome the registry as a way to improve upon the current system."

Gordon Colvin, a biologist with NOAA’s Fisheries Service and interim senior policy advisor on recreational fishing to Balsiger, who has spearheaded the registry implementation, said that many anglers will not need to take any action to register, because their coastal states already have agreements in place with NOAA to share state saltwater fishing license information.

WHO NEEDS TO REGISTER:

Recreational saltwater fishermen will need to register if they:

• Fish in one of 10 coastal states or territories which do not currently have comprehensive saltwater angler license or registration requirements­Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• Fish for or are likely to catch anadromous species in tidal and salt waters; these are fish like river herring, shad, smelt and striped bass that live in the oceans but spawn in fresh water, OR

• Fish in the federal waters more than three miles from the ocean shore or from the mouths of rivers or bays

WHO DOESN'T NEED TO REGISTER

Some anglers don’t have to register if they:

• Hold a valid license from one of 15 coastal states with comprehensive licensing or registration ­ Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington;

• Are not required under state law in one of these 15 states to hold a fishing license as is sometimes the case with seniors or active-duty military;

• Are under age 16;

• Pay to fish on licensed charter, party or guide boats;

• Hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling permit or subsistence fishing permit (others fishing aboard may have to register);

• Fish commercially under a valid license.

National Saltwater Angler registration is free in 2010. To register beginning Friday, anglers can visit http://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov and click on the Register link, or call the toll-free registration line at 1-888-MRIP-411 (1-888-674-7411) from 4:00 am to 12 midnight EST daily.

Anglers will need to provide their name, date of birth, address and telephone number, and will receive a registration number that will allow them to begin fishing immediately. They will receive a registration card in the mail in about 30 days.

Steve Medeiros, executive director of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association and a leading advocate for a saltwater fishing license in his state, said the registry is an important step. “While it’s true that some fishermen don’t like the idea of having to register to participate in a sport they’ve taken for granted their whole lives, anyone fishing today knows that increasing pressures on the ocean are having a real effect,” he said. “If we’re going to pass the sport down to our children and grandchildren, we’re going to need sound management based on good data.”

The registry will be used as the basis for conducting surveys of saltwater recreational fishermen to find out how often they fish. It will eventually replace the use of random-digit dialing to coastal households, a system NOAA has had in place since the 1970s. The goal is to improve survey efficiency and reduce bias by making calls only to homes where people fish, and reaching saltwater anglers who live outside coastal counties.

While the registry is among the most visible aspects of NOAA’s Marine Recreational Information Program, it is only one component of this rigorous multi-year, multi-phased overhaul of the system NOAA uses to collect and report recreational fishing data. Each piece of its design and implementation has been guided by close working relationships among NOAA personnel, fisheries managers, state partners, independent scientists and the recreational fishing community.

Recreational fishermen should also remember that regardless of whether an individual is registered with NOAA, they must obey all state regulations and licensing requirements where they are fishing.
__________________

[IrishAyes]

We have too many rec guys (among others) who think that this is a cure all for the fishing. I don't believe this will make one ounce of difference in the regulations, except to maybe tighten them up even more.

The government already has the charter and party boats fill out logs. This is valuable information thaat can and should be used in their accessment of the fisheries. The problem is, this information sits in a basement somewhere in Woods Hole and is not even looked at by the regulators. Shame on them. 

They can make all the phone calls they want. How valid will the information be? My opinion...not very. People will guess at the answers. How often have you been fishing in the past two months?...Ummmm, five or six times.  How may fish did you catch? I guess, ummm And so on.

I would hope that this 'new fangled system' works, but I have my doubts.

Happy New Year to all. 

[ped579]

Just tried to register it seems like they are having problems with the site.  It will not take my zip code...

[IrishAyes]

I heard from someone else that if you have the first number as '0' it will not accept it. Use any other number for the first number and it will accept that and then allow you to change it. Supposedly you can also put in all '99999' and it will make the correction on the next page you go to. Try it and let us know if it does work. I do not need to register as I hold a tuna permit and am exempt.

[kezsr]

I am going to get a non resident NY saltwater license being that I fish both NJ and Ny water,as I read it,if I have this license I don't have to register?       Kez

[njdiver]

There is a problem with zip codes that start with 0. A possible solution is to type in 99999 and let the system self correct to the town you type in later. Of course there may also be a problem for those towns with more than one zip code starting with 0. There is also the 1-888-674-7411 solution.

[Noworries2009]

Just finished registering with no problems. Don't know how all this will work out but the way things have been going the last 10 years or so the regs have been tightening anyway. They have an agenda and don't need our input.I don't think that's going to change. Just another way to see who's doing what. Either get involved by contributing/joining or just accept the outcome. I will continue to fish but all of this has definitely affected what I do and how I do it.

[beachwalker]

Thanks for the info, i just registered i had no problems with the zipcode. I love that they put this is free for 2010 which means we will have to pay a fee next year or be forced to buy a saltwater license!!!

[IrishAyes]

Beachwalker. You are right in that assessment except it DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A SALTWATER LICENSE.

All the state has to do is gather the names, addresses and phone numbers of the saltwater fishermen (a State registry so to speak) and that would cover the demand of the feds. They will not do this though, they will go for a license and say they were mandated to do so, which is not true. 

There are a lot of fishermen who think a saltwater license will be a cure all for the fishing community. They are far from being right. 

[Reckless]

 So what happens when you have a friend or family member comes down to fish once or twice a year? Its free this year but what about when there is a fee? 

[IrishAyes]

Unfortunately, they will have to pay up. 

[bugmannj]

For what it's worth I'm registered. If the state will require a license next year remains to be seen. ( they probably will).
I'm not convinced that this will improve things as far as regs or limits. Just hope that maybe it's a step in the right direction.

[Reckless]

Unfortunately, they will have to pay up. 

More BS!

[ped579]

 

It is disgusting that they have to even thing about payment.  I am watching the voting process very closely, as we all should, and vote out every bone head that votes for the pay to fish. 

Idiots.

[wb]

I am going to get a non resident NY saltwater license being that I fish both NJ and Ny water,as I read it,if I have this license I don't have to register?       Kez

Kez the way I read this excerpt from the NYFGW website ( http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/54950.html )if you are fishing NY boundary waters with NJ, then you are exempted: see below:

Q: Are there any reciprocal license agreements with other states where marine waters form boundaries with other states?
A: Yes, in certain waters, if a state grants New York recreational marine fishing license holders fishing privileges in that state's portion of the boundary water(s), then New York grants appropriately licensed anglers from that state the privilege to fish in the New York portion of the boundary water(s) without securing a New York recreational marine fishing license:

•Connecticut: those parts of Long Island Sound lying between New York and Connecticut
•New Jersey: those parts of New York Harbor, Hudson River, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, and Atlantic Ocean lying between New Jersey and New York, and
•Rhode Island: those parts of Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean lying between Rhode Island and New York.

As usual with gov't agencies, they make it clear as mud. Since NJ does not require a SW license that means we are APPROPRIATELY LICENSED ANGLERS in our state. Also, NJ grants NY's SW license holders the privledge to fish in our state (anyone can SW fish in our state) so we meet that requirement too. So I read it that NJ residents don't need a license to fish NJ waters or the NY side of NY-NJ boundary waters (but then you would need to register with NOAA.)
 

[nascarwarren]

just got off the phone with the registry and found out if you dont register and get caught you will be fined. i would like to know how much and why but they wont give me a answer what a joke

[Reckless]

Card arrived in the mail today!