Online Management of Recreational Fishery Survey Sample Frames

NOAA Fisheries estimates recreational fishing catch by surveying anglers as they complete their fishing trips at publicly accessible fishing sites. Historically, site attributes and fishing activity levels were maintained in site data files for use as sampling frames. The site data were managed independently by region and/or state. New survey designs required a sample frame with greater detail, consistency and more frequent updates. These requirements created a challenge for oversight of data and process management. In order to maintain high quality data, detailed documentation, and near real-time updates the logical solution was to move to a centralized online system.

Maintained by NOAA Fisheries, in cooperation with our state and regional partners, the “Site Register” system manages information about publicly accessible fishing sites including marinas, boat ramps, piers, beaches and jetties. The system includes a database, user interface for data entry and searching, analytical/processing and user management tools. Edits are made by registered users with rules applied by the system for approvals. Changes are tracked by users to maintain a complete history for each site. Tools are incorporated for generating the sample frame. The public/guest users have access to search and download approved data.