Abstract

The Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey (MRFSS) was begun by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in 1979 to provide nation wide statistically valid and consistent estimates of saltwater recreational fishing catch, effort, and participation. The MRFSS was based on research conducted in the 1970's and consists of two complementary surveys: a telephone survey for effort and an intercept survey for catch. The MRFSS was conducted in the U.S. Caribbean territories in 1979 and in 1981; however, in 1982 insufficient funding caused that sampling to be discontinued. In 1999, the NMFS began planning to re-initiate the MRFSS in the U.S. Caribbean for calendar year 2000. Planning was conducted in a cooperative manner with the territorial fisheries resource agencies of Puerto Rico (PR) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). The Caribbean Fisheries Management Council (CFMC) and NMFS Southeastern Regional staff were also consulted to ensure federal management needs unique to the U.S. Caribbean were considered. Telephone sampling began December 1999 in both territories while intercept sampling began January 2000 in PR and March 2000 in the USVI. Sampling results and preliminary estimates are provided and lessons learned from the re-initiation of the MRFSS are discussed. The MRFSS staff expects that the survey will continue into 2001, which will allow continued improvement and adaptation to local conditions.

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