06-28-2008, 11:10 AM
DURHAM, N.H. -- A new national saltwater angler registry will go into effect on January 1, 2009. To help inform saltwater anglers in New Hampshire about the upcoming change, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will sponsor a public informational meeting about the national registry on July 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Urban Forestry Center, 45 Elwyn Road, in Portsmouth, N.H. Gordon Colvin of NOAA Fisheries will be on hand to answer questions and provide information about the new registry. The public is encouraged to attend.
<br>The national registry of saltwater anglers is the key to closing a major gap in information on recreational fishing, improving the efficiency and accuracy of surveys. It will also help NOAA demonstrate the economic value of saltwater recreational fishing on local and national economies and allow the agency to get a more accurate picture of the level of participation by the American public in saltwater fishing.<br>
<br>NOAA Fisheries has released a proposed rule on the National Saltwater Angler Registry, a requirement of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act and an important component of the broader initiative to improve the quality of recreational fishing data.<br>
<br>Beginning in January 2009, recreational anglers who fish in federal waters are required to be registered each year with NOAA Fisheries. The proposed rule also requires registration by those who may catch anadromous species such as salmon, striped bass, smelt, and shad that spawn in rivers and streams and spend their adult lives in estuaries and the ocean. Registration will be free for the first two years.<br>
<br>The proposed rule outlines the process NOAA Fisheries will use for registering saltwater recreational anglers. It also addresses the qualifications and procedures for exempting states and their anglers from the federal registration requirement.<br>
<br>Anglers may be exempt from federal registration if they fish in a state that already has a program in place to account for all of its saltwater anglers. The proposed rule outlines possible exemptions for states that have a comprehensive saltwater fishing license or a regional angler survey program approved by NOAA Fisheries. In addition, anglers fishing from licensed for-hire vessels and anglers under the age of 16 are also exempt.<br>
<br>For more information about the registry, to view a copy of the proposed federal rule, or to provide formal comments to NOAA Fisheries concerning the proposed rule, visit http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov.<br>
<br>For additional information concerning the public meeting in Portsmouth, contact N.H. Fish and Game's Region 3 office at 603-868-1095.
<br>The national registry of saltwater anglers is the key to closing a major gap in information on recreational fishing, improving the efficiency and accuracy of surveys. It will also help NOAA demonstrate the economic value of saltwater recreational fishing on local and national economies and allow the agency to get a more accurate picture of the level of participation by the American public in saltwater fishing.<br>
<br>NOAA Fisheries has released a proposed rule on the National Saltwater Angler Registry, a requirement of the reauthorized Magnuson-Stevens Act and an important component of the broader initiative to improve the quality of recreational fishing data.<br>
<br>Beginning in January 2009, recreational anglers who fish in federal waters are required to be registered each year with NOAA Fisheries. The proposed rule also requires registration by those who may catch anadromous species such as salmon, striped bass, smelt, and shad that spawn in rivers and streams and spend their adult lives in estuaries and the ocean. Registration will be free for the first two years.<br>
<br>The proposed rule outlines the process NOAA Fisheries will use for registering saltwater recreational anglers. It also addresses the qualifications and procedures for exempting states and their anglers from the federal registration requirement.<br>
<br>Anglers may be exempt from federal registration if they fish in a state that already has a program in place to account for all of its saltwater anglers. The proposed rule outlines possible exemptions for states that have a comprehensive saltwater fishing license or a regional angler survey program approved by NOAA Fisheries. In addition, anglers fishing from licensed for-hire vessels and anglers under the age of 16 are also exempt.<br>
<br>For more information about the registry, to view a copy of the proposed federal rule, or to provide formal comments to NOAA Fisheries concerning the proposed rule, visit http://www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov.<br>
<br>For additional information concerning the public meeting in Portsmouth, contact N.H. Fish and Game's Region 3 office at 603-868-1095.