Bill Text: NJ AR122 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fully implement improved data collection measures in federal fisheries act and Congress to conduct review of fisheries data collection program.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 4-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-05-22 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee [AR122 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-AR122-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman SAMUEL L. FIOCCHI
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Urges National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fully implement improved data collection measures in federal fisheries act and Congress to conduct review of fisheries data collection program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fully implement the improved data collection measures in the "Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act" and urging Congress to conduct a review of the Marine Recreational Information Program.
Whereas, Recreational fishing is a vital part of American coastal communities, providing important social, economic, and recreational benefits to millions of anglers; and
Whereas, In 2011, 8.9 million saltwater anglers took 86 million fishing trips on 99 million days, and spent $10.3 billion on fishing-related expenses; and
Whereas, That same year, recreational saltwater fishing generated $70 billion in sales impacts and $20 billion in income impacts, and supported 455,000 jobs in the national economy; and
Whereas, Recreational saltwater fishing in the United States is governed primarily by the "Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act" (MSA), which was first enacted in 1976 and reauthorized in 1996 and 2007; and
Whereas, The law was initially adopted to eliminate competition from foreign fishing fleets, rebuild overfished stocks, conserve and manage fishery resources, and facilitate long-term protection of essential fish habitats; and
Whereas, The law also established eight regional councils, which set fishery management measures, such as fishing seasons and harvest limits, to ensure that fisheries are not overfished; and
Whereas, These management measures are based on questionable estimates of the total number of fish caught by anglers during the season; and
Whereas, Since 1979, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has obtained the information needed to calculate these questionable estimates through surveys, conducted as part of its Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS); and
Whereas, The MRFSS employs a combination of random telephone interviews and in-person intercepts at marinas and other fishing sites to obtain information on fishing trips and catches; and
Whereas, Specifically, when conducting phone interviews, NOAA randomly contacts households in coastal communities and, when it finds an angler, asks the angler the number of trips he or she took in the preceding two months; and
Whereas, In 2004, NOAA contracted with the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences to review the methods used to collect and analyze recreational fishing data; and
Whereas, The NRC's report, issued in 2006, identified a number of problems with the survey methods, and questioned the adequacy of the surveys to provide the statistics needed to support accurate stock assessments and good management decisions; and
Whereas, According to the report, both the random telephone interviews and in-person intercepts had serious flaws in design and implementation, and used inadequate analysis methods that needed to be addressed immediately; and
Whereas, In response to the report, Congress amended the MSA in 2007 to require NOAA to improve the quality and accuracy of the information generated by the MRFSS, consistent with the NRC's recommendations; and
Whereas, The act directed NOAA to implement a new program by January 1, 2009 that included, among other things, a greater number of in-person intercepts, and phone surveys that target anglers registered at the state or federal level; and
Whereas, In 2008, NOAA implemented the Marine Recreational Information Program to address the NRC's concerns, and provide more accurate recreational fishing data; and
Whereas, Over five years later, despite the new program, NOAA has failed to implement many of the NRC's recommendations and has postponed the improved data collection measures mandated by Congress in the MSA; and
Whereas, Although New Jersey developed and maintains its own database of recreational fishermen in the State, known as the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program, it has been asserted that NOAA fails to utilize this database when conducting surveys, and continues to rely on random telephone interviews; and
Whereas, It has also been asserted that NOAA refuses to utilize recreational fishing industry data, such as receipts, fares, fuel sales, and slip rentals, that may provide more accurate estimates, and that are used routinely by other federal agencies; and
Whereas, Successful management of marine fisheries and, thus, the vibrancy of coastal economies, depends on having clear, reliable, and well-documented information; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to fully implement the improved data collection measures in the "Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act."
2. This House further urges Congress to initiate an independent, non-partisan review of the Marine Recreational Information Program to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and timeliness of recreational fishing data.
3. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, the members of the New Jersey Congressional delegation, and the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fully implement the improved data collection measures in the "Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act" (MSA). It also urges Congress to initiate an independent, non-partisan review of MRIP to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and timeliness of recreational fishing data
Recreational fishing is a vital part of American coastal communities, providing important social, economic, and recreational benefits to millions of anglers. In 2011, 8.9 million saltwater anglers took 86 million fishing trips on 99 million days, and spent $10.3 billion on fishing-related expenses. That same year, recreational saltwater fishing generated $70 billion in sales impacts and $20 billion in income impacts, and supported 455,000 jobs in the national economy. Recreational saltwater fishing in the U.S. is governed primarily by the MSA. The law was originally passed in 1976 to eliminate competition from foreign fishing fleets, rebuild overfished stocks, conserve and manage fishery resources, and facilitate long-term protection of essential fish habitats.
The law also established eight regional councils, which set fishery management measures, such as fishing seasons and harvest limits, to ensure that fisheries are not overfished. These management measures are based on questionable estimates of the total number of fish caught by anglers during the season. Since 1979, NOAA has obtained the information needed to calculate these questionable estimates through surveys, as part of its Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS). The MRFSS employs a combination of random telephone interviews and in-person intercepts at marinas and other fishing sites to obtain the relevant data.
In 2004, NOAA contracted with the National Research Council (NRC) to review the methods used to collect and analyze recreational fishing data. The NRC's report, issued in 2006, identified a number of problems with the survey methods, and questioned the adequacy of the surveys to provide the statistics needed to support good management decisions. In response to the report, Congress amended the MSA in 2007 to require NOAA to improve the quality and accuracy of the information generated by the MRFSS, consistent with the NRC's recommendations. The act directed NOAA to implement a new program by January 1, 2009 that included improved data collection measures.
In 2008, NOAA implemented the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) to address the NRC's concerns, and provide more accurate recreational fishing data. However, over five years later, NOAA has failed to implement many of the NRC's recommendations and has postponed the improved data collection measures mandated by Congress. Although New Jersey has developed and maintains its own database of recreational fishermen in the State, known as the New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program, it has been asserted that NOAA fails to utilize this database when conducting surveys, and continues to rely on random telephone interviews. It has also been asserted that NOAA refuses to utilize recreational fishing industry data that may provide more accurate estimates. Because successful fisheries management depends on having clear, accurate data, this resolution urges NOAA to fully implement the MSA's improved data collection measures.
This resolution also urges Congress to initiate an independent, non-partisan review of MRIP to evaluate the accuracy, precision, and timeliness of recreational fishing data.
