njdiver1
Contributor
For those interested in the actual document:
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip/abo...Final_Rule.pdf
Saltwater Angler Registry Final Rule Fact Sheet:
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip/abo...Fact_Sheet.pdf
Here is the "short" version:
The final rule requires persons who are angling, spear fishing, in possession of angling or spearfishing equipment or operating a vessel that carries recreational fishing passengers for-hire in the EEZ, or who are angling, spear fishing or operating a vessel that carries recreational fishing passengers for-hire for anadromous species in tidal waters, to register annually with NMFS. The registration requirement is effective January 1, 2010. Section 401(g) of the MSA provides that the Secretary may not charge a fee for anglers or vessels to register with NMFS until January 1, 2011. The rule implements a registration fee to be specified at the time of implementation, currently estimated to be in the range of $15 to $25 per year, beginning in calendar year 2011.
Anglers and for-hire vessel operators are not required to register annually if they hold a license issued by, or are registered by, a state which has been designated as an exempted state as described below. Persons who hold a state or federal commercial fishing license or permit or a license or permit to engage in a subsistence fishery, and who are lawfully fishing or in possession of fish pursuant to such license or permit, are not required to register; however, holders of commercial or subsistence licenses or permits who are angling or spear fishing recreationally, outside the terms and conditions of the commercial or subsistence license or permit, are required to register. Anglers under the age of 16 are not required to register, although they could register voluntarily, at no cost. This, in part, is due to the practical difficulty of conducting telephone surveys of, and of enforcing a registration requirement for, minors. Furthermore, in most cases, adult anglers reside in households in which minor anglers reside; such adults will need to register and, if contacted by surveys, will be able to provide the angling effort information for minors residing in the same household. Anglers fishing on licensed or registered for-hire fishing vessels are also not required to register with NMFS.
The fee for registering is waived for non-commercial angling or spear fishing by indigenous people, but the requirement to register is not. The fee waiver recognizes that, for many indigenous people, fishing is motivated primarily by a desire to gather food for family or community use and/or for cultural reasons. Although it is necessary to register indigenous fishers in order to assure that the registration requirement is enforceable and to ensure complete data collection, it is appropriate to waive the registration fee in consideration of the cultural nature of non-commercial fishing by many indigenous people.
The final rule also establishes the procedures and guidelines by which states may be designated as exempted states. A state may apply for designation by submitting a proposal that addresses the requirements as noted below. A Memorandum of Agreement ("MOA") between NMFS and each state will be executed to establish the terms of designation. States will be eligible to be designated as exempted states in two ways: (1) by submitting state angler and for-hire vessel license holder data to NMFS for inclusion in a national or regional registry database; or (2) by participating in regional surveys of recreational catch and effort and making the resultant data available to NMFS. The regulations for exempted state designation are designed to assure that the license holder data submitted by states includes all anglers and for-hire vessels necessary to meet survey requirements.
__________________
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip/abo...Final_Rule.pdf
Saltwater Angler Registry Final Rule Fact Sheet:
http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/mrip/abo...Fact_Sheet.pdf
Here is the "short" version:
The final rule requires persons who are angling, spear fishing, in possession of angling or spearfishing equipment or operating a vessel that carries recreational fishing passengers for-hire in the EEZ, or who are angling, spear fishing or operating a vessel that carries recreational fishing passengers for-hire for anadromous species in tidal waters, to register annually with NMFS. The registration requirement is effective January 1, 2010. Section 401(g) of the MSA provides that the Secretary may not charge a fee for anglers or vessels to register with NMFS until January 1, 2011. The rule implements a registration fee to be specified at the time of implementation, currently estimated to be in the range of $15 to $25 per year, beginning in calendar year 2011.
Anglers and for-hire vessel operators are not required to register annually if they hold a license issued by, or are registered by, a state which has been designated as an exempted state as described below. Persons who hold a state or federal commercial fishing license or permit or a license or permit to engage in a subsistence fishery, and who are lawfully fishing or in possession of fish pursuant to such license or permit, are not required to register; however, holders of commercial or subsistence licenses or permits who are angling or spear fishing recreationally, outside the terms and conditions of the commercial or subsistence license or permit, are required to register. Anglers under the age of 16 are not required to register, although they could register voluntarily, at no cost. This, in part, is due to the practical difficulty of conducting telephone surveys of, and of enforcing a registration requirement for, minors. Furthermore, in most cases, adult anglers reside in households in which minor anglers reside; such adults will need to register and, if contacted by surveys, will be able to provide the angling effort information for minors residing in the same household. Anglers fishing on licensed or registered for-hire fishing vessels are also not required to register with NMFS.
The fee for registering is waived for non-commercial angling or spear fishing by indigenous people, but the requirement to register is not. The fee waiver recognizes that, for many indigenous people, fishing is motivated primarily by a desire to gather food for family or community use and/or for cultural reasons. Although it is necessary to register indigenous fishers in order to assure that the registration requirement is enforceable and to ensure complete data collection, it is appropriate to waive the registration fee in consideration of the cultural nature of non-commercial fishing by many indigenous people.
The final rule also establishes the procedures and guidelines by which states may be designated as exempted states. A state may apply for designation by submitting a proposal that addresses the requirements as noted below. A Memorandum of Agreement ("MOA") between NMFS and each state will be executed to establish the terms of designation. States will be eligible to be designated as exempted states in two ways: (1) by submitting state angler and for-hire vessel license holder data to NMFS for inclusion in a national or regional registry database; or (2) by participating in regional surveys of recreational catch and effort and making the resultant data available to NMFS. The regulations for exempted state designation are designed to assure that the license holder data submitted by states includes all anglers and for-hire vessels necessary to meet survey requirements.
__________________
