New Registration Requirements for Salt Water Fishermen--Mandate from NOAA

By Jim Field

NOAA has initiated a new registration program for all salt water fishermen entitled the "Marine Recreational Information Program." The website can be accessed by clicking here. The website provides a good Q&A explaining the "whats and whys" underlying the new mandate. In a nutshell, they want to creat a "phone book" (their term) of salt water fishermen for future tracking purposes--tracking of people on the water and what they are catching--so as to help manage the fisheries better. The program is mandatory but free this year--next year a $15-25 license will be imposed.

Based on a quick reading, I think the Crew is exempt from having to register for now. I am exempt because I am a holder of an active HMS permit (aka our tuna license). Also, if you fish in a state with an already-existing license requirement--like Delaware and North Carolina--you're exempt too. So we're covered on two fronts. By the way, anyone over 16 is covered by the registration mandate.

So there you are: the new registry exists but we're exempt this year. We're special! In many different ways!