NOAA Fisheries has published its final 2023 recreational fishing catch and effort estimates for the Atlantic and Gulf coast states and in Hawaii. These estimates are derived from data collected from for-hire captains and recreational anglers through a suite of recreational fishing surveys. They help inform stock assessments and fisheries management decisions that aim to conserve our shared marine resources, while providing optimal fishing opportunities.
There are several ways to access our recreational fishing catch and effort data.
- Access our public-use datasets and template programs
- Use the MRIP Query Tool to filter recreational fisheries statistics by time, geographic area, species, fishing mode, and other characteristics
- Submit custom data requests
We continue to evaluate and incorporate improvements to our online data access tools, as well as our recreational catch and effort data estimation and estimate review processes.
Recent Query Tool Improvements
- Reinstated publishing 2-month wave-level catch and effort data in response to customer feedback
- Added fishing-year query options for catch, effort, and length frequency in addition to the traditional calendar-year option to support data users who manage fisheries that don’t align with the calendar year (reducing the need to produce custom catch and effort estimates)
- Added a feature to the length frequency catch query to allow customizable length bin sizes to evaluate the effects of different size limits
- Developed, published, and updated a data user handbook designed to provide fisheries analysts and stock assessors with detailed information about downloading, exporting, querying, and analyzing our marine recreational fishing data
- Incorporated additional fields in the query tool to more clearly flag estimates with data-quality limitations
- Added a fishing effort distribution query that includes estimated shore and private boat fishing trips by age and gender to assist with social impact analyses
We are also working with our partners to establish regional priorities for data products that can support in-season management for some species through production of more timely and precise catch and effort estimates.
Get More Data
There are several ways you can find updates on our data:
