Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS)

Background:

The National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Fisheries) is required to conduct a survey of marine recrea­tional fishing.  This survey gathers information on participation (number of people who went marine recrea­tional fishing at least once within the calendar year), fishing effort (number of angler trips), and catch (numbers of finfish caught, harvested, and released) by marine recrea­tional anglers.

Catch, effort, and participation statistics are fundamental for assessing the influence of fishing on any stock of fish.  The quanti­ties taken, the fishing effort, and the seasonal and geo­graph­ical distribution of the catch and effort are required for the development of rational management policies and plans.  Recreational fisheries data are essential for NOAA Fisheries, the Regional Fishery Management Councils, the Interstate Fisheries Commissions, State con­serva­tion agencies, recreational fishing industries, and others involved in the management and productivity of marine fisheries.  The allocation of many fishery resources depends on the results of these surveys.

The Marine Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey (MRFSS) is a nationwide program developed in the late 1970's to provide a database of marine recreational fishing activity.  The MRFSS consists of two independent, yet complementary surveys; a Coastal Household Telephone Survey (CHTS) to assess fishing effort, and an access-point intercept survey to assess catch per unit effort.  Data from the two surveys are combined to estimate total fishing effort, participation, and catch by species. 

In recent years, managers, scientists, and the recreational fishing community have raised concerns about the timeliness and accuracy of MRFSS data and estimates.  As a result of these concerns, as well as mandates issued by Congress, the MRFSS is being phased out in favor of an improved recreational fishing data collection program.  The new Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) will improve the collection, analysis and distribution of recreational fishing statistics. 

To ensure uninterrupted production of recreational fishery statistics, as well as provide a benchmarking period to document improvements, it will be necessary to conduct the MRFSS concurrently with the MRIP.  In addition, improved components of the MRFSS may be retained in the MRIP.  This statement of work describes requirements for the CHTS.

Generally, the CHTS is limited to households in counties that are located within 25-50 miles of the coastline (coastal counties) because the majority of the recreational fishing trips are taken by persons residing within those counties.  The intercept survey provides adjustment factors to account for trips taken by non-coastal anglers, and anglers who live in households without telephones, as well as catch information. 

The CHTS will be conducted in the Atlantic, Gulf Coast, and Caribbean sub-regions by one contractor from wave 5 (September/October) 2009 through wave 6 2010. The survey is currently being conducted in the Pacific sub-regions concurrently with state surveys coordinated by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.  Overlap with these state-administered surveys in 2009 and 2010 is tentative.