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Contact: Patricia Smith New Web Tool Allows Anglers to Log Their Catch MOREHEAD CITY – North Carolina anglers have a new web page where they can log their saltwater catches to help state fisheries managers with their recreational fishing surveys. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries launched its new Internet-based electronic reporting system today. It can be accessed through the division website at www.ncfisheries.net under Hot Topics. This online tool provides an alternative way for anglers to report their catches when they are contacted for surveys by the division’s Coastal Angling Program, which gathers recreational fishing statistics for the agency. The division has, for years, contacted recreational anglers through telephone interviews and mail surveys to obtain information for recreational catch statistics. These statistics help authorities determine what size and bag limits or seasons are needed to ensure sustainable fish populations. “By providing an Internet-based reporting tool, we hope to capture some of the more tech-savvy anglers who no longer use land line telephones or regular mail,” said Chris Wilson, with the division’s Coastal Angling Program. Many states have begun to adopt these technologies and future innovations to improve their survey capabilities. The website also provides a section called the Coastal Angling Journal, where any fisherman, not just those contacted for surveys, can voluntarily record catches. Questions include information about the date and time of the fishing trip, the weather, where the fish was caught, and the species targeted and caught. The Coastal Angling Journal will allow fishermen to keep online records of their individual fishing activity and print reports of that activity. The division will be able to compare the information it receives from those voluntarily recording their trips with the data it gathers through its surveys. This electronic reporting system was funded, in part, by revenues from the Coastal Recreational Fishing License. For more information, contact Chris Wilson, with the division Coastal Angling Program, at (252) 948-3885 or [email protected]. |