Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Regional Implementation Plan for the U.S. Caribbean Region SERO Proposed Amendment to the Reef Fish FMP December 13, 2016

Overview Effective management of marine fisheries in the U.S. Caribbean requires accurate and timely data. Collecting data is costly and time consuming, and adequate funding rarely exists in any region of the United States. Necessary to prioritize alternatives within the context of cost and need. RIP designed to identify recreational data needs and collection alternatives. Data collection needs and activities ranked within context of goals and objectives, which may be region-wide or specific to an individual island group.

Goals and Objectives Goals are Caribbean-wide and include: Ensure recreational data collection meets the constituent needs of timeliness, coverage, and collection of event-specific data; Ensure survey methods meet the highest possible standards of precision, accuracy, and quality; Ensure the sampling program is durable, efficient, and cost-effective. Objectives may differ among island groups but generally include: A durable, overarching structure; Strategy to ensure continuous data collection; Establish a regional data management portal; Create and oversight team

PR MRIP Objectives Sampler accuracy; 1) Design Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) for: Coverage; Sampler accuracy; Ensure inclusion of important invertebrate species: Queen conch; Spiny lobster; Other (e.g., blue crab, octopus, whelk). 2) Develop MRFSS to MRIP calibration coefficients. 3) Replace Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS) with Fishing Effort Survey (FES): Obtain contact information for each recreational mode: Private vessel; For-hire; Shoreline; Tournament; Obtain United States Postal Service household database; Achieve Percent Standard Error (PSE) < 25. 4) Develop for-hire sector logbook, including verification methodology. 5) Establish statistically robust tournament sampling methods.

USVI MRIP Objectives For-hire; Shoreline; Tournament. Coverage; 1) Obtain contact information for each recreational mode: Private vessel; For-hire; Shoreline; Tournament. 2) Obtain USPS household database. 3) Develop survey using (1) and (2) above, with percent standard error (PSE) < 25. 4) Develop online register of public fishing sites. 5) Develop Access Point Angler Intercept Survey (APAIS) design: Coverage; Sampler accuracy; Ensure inclusion of important invertebrate species: Queen conch; Spiny lobster; Other (e.g., blue crab, octopus, whelk). Scheduling; Safety. 6) Develop electronic logbook for For-hire sector. 7) Establish statistically robust tournament sampling methods.

Information Needs Two basic sources of data are required to estimate the rate of catch achieved by recreational fishers: how much effort was expended by an individual fisher to catch a fish (effort); what fish were caught (catch). There are many details associated with the collection of this information including: recreational mode (e.g. private vessel, for-hire, shoreline, tournament); recorded variable (e.g., species, discards, landings/lbs, landings/#, CPUE…); sampling frequency (e.g., annual, every 5-years); sample level (e.g., boat owner, individual, vessel captain); other (e.g., gear, location). Data accuracy-Measured as Percent Standard Error, target < 25.

Regional Administration Hierarchy

Summary Regional Implementation Plan -guide to refinement of MRIP in Puerto Rico -framework for developing MRIP in the USVI Plan covers data collection needs, but also program administration Strategies for data management, statistical integration, and funding depend on details of final program design and are not included in initial RIP DRAFT RIP will be completed December 2016, reviewed by program team and NOAA Science and Technology MRIP team, then finalized.