Fisheries data improving

Like most one-year-olds, the state’s year-old recreational fisheries harvest data program is progressing by leaps and bounds.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will determine the state’s 2015 recreational red snapper season at its March meeting.
“LA Creel’s first year was a great success,” said Randy Pausina, Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “Through the program’s improved data collection methods, our biologists measured 23 times more fish and interviewed more than 49 times the vessel trips than MRIP (Marine Recreational Information Program, the federal government’s recreational fisheries harvest data program). This increased sampling frequency reduces statistical error, producing more reliable, more precise landings estimates.
“In fact, preliminary results show that, through LA Creel, we’ve reduced statistical error in landings estimates for many of our important species—specifically by 30 percent for speckled trout, 46 percent for redfish and 53 percent for drum, and an outstanding 60 percent for red snapper when compared to the last 10 years of MRIP data.”
On January 1, 2014, LDWF withdrew from the MRIP program and replaced it with LA Creel following years of complaints from anglers and charter boat captains about MRIP’s efficiency and accuracy, mainly with the red snapper species landings. Season dates and catch limits are set based on data collected through MRIP.
By collecting the data itself, LDWF hopes to make a case to the federal government for regional and/or state management of all marine recreational fish species. LA Creel, which is funded by a recent saltwater license fee increase, allows the department to analyze landings estimates by area within the state and to precisely count saltwater species as they are landed. Through the program, LDWF can track recreational harvests in real time, which allows the flexibility to set fishing seasons that maximize anglers’ time on the water fishing for a particular species and to stay on top of keeping harvests within limits.
“Just this year, if we had relied on data from MRIP, our 2014 recreational red snapper season would have lasted just nine days,” Pausina said. “Using improved estimates from LA Creel, we were able to extend the recreational red snapper season to 286 days in state waters and allow our anglers the opportunity to harvest their full share of the catch.”
“More reliable, more precise data leads to better stock assessments and provides a solid foundation for sound management of our fisheries,” Pausina added.
LDWF is currently working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees MRIP, to recognize the validity of LA Creel, and the two entities reached an agreement to benchmark the program.
“This means we’ll run the old MRIP survey side-by-side with LA Creel for the 2015 recreational fishing season, and NOAA will compare the results from both surveys and adjust historic recreational landings estimates accordingly,” Pausina said. “Once LA Creel is benchmarked, LDWF will no longer run MRIP, and officials hope that NOAA will support LA Creel and use its more precise results to conduct future stock assessments.”
“This process paves the way for other Gulf states to adopt their own recreational angler survey programs, improves data collection, and is an important step toward regional management of the recreational red snapper fishery.”
Texas has had its own recreational data collection program for years, and all the other Gulf states are developing their own data collection programs for the recreational red snapper fishery. While it is too early to judge trends in the data gathered from LA Creel, the real-time information does allow for day to day management decisions, and this year’s benchmark data from MRIP and LA Creel will be used to compare historic data and evaluate long-term trends.
As of Dec. 15, 2014, 16 days before the Louisiana’s recreational red snapper fishery closed Dec. 31, Louisiana anglers had landed about 605,000 pounds of red snapper, below the state’s historic annual landings of 754,000 pounds. If LDWF had accepted MRIP’s estimates and the subsequent nine-day season, anglers would have only been able to land about 150,000 pounds of red snapper.
While no date is in sight for state or regional management, Louisiana continues to take hopeful steps toward that end.
Just a few weeks before the end of last year’s season, LDWF Secretary Robert Barham testified on the benefits of the enhanced data collection in support of state management of red snapper during the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans, and Insular Affairs hearing on H.R. 3099 - the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Conservation Act of 2013.
“Our anglers have always been incredibly patient and helpful with our biologists, whether at the dock, over the phone, or via email,” said Department Secretary Robert Barham in a press release. “We ask for and greatly appreciate their continued cooperation as we take this important step in our quest towards regional management.”
“Our anglers, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, our Legislature, and our Governor are 100 percent behind our position on regional management and Secretary Barham’s testimony during this hearing,” Pausina added. “We will continue to fight for our anglers and press Congress and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council for regional management; ultimately this is not our decision and is in their hands.”