Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Department of Commerce will submit the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on April 2, 2026, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
Title: Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) Fishing Effort Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0648-0652.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular submission [revision and extension of a current information collection].
Number of Respondents: 112,500.
Average Hours per Response: 5 minutes.
Total Annual Burden Hours: 9,374.
Needs and Uses: This is a request for revision and extension of an approved information collection.
Marine recreational anglers are surveyed to collect catch and effort data, fish biology data, and angler socioeconomic characteristics. These data are required to carry out provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), as amended, regarding conservation and management of fishery resources.
Marine recreational fishing catch and effort data are collected through a combination of mail surveys, telephone surveys and on-site intercept surveys with recreational anglers. The Fishing Effort Survey (FES) is conducted by the NOAA Fisheries, Office of Science and Technology (OST). The FES is a self-administered, household mail survey that samples from a residential address frame to collect data on the number of recreational anglers and the number of recreational fishing trips. The survey estimates marine recreational fishing activity for all coastal states from Maine through Florida, as well as Hawaii.
FES estimates are combined with estimates derived from complementary surveys of fishing trips, the Access-Point Angler Intercept Survey, to estimate total, state-level fishing catch, by species. These estimates are used in the development, implementation, and monitoring of fishery management programs by NOAA Fisheries, regional fishery management councils, interstate marine fisheries commissions, and state fishery agencies.
Previously, the FES was administered bi-monthly, estimating recreational fishing effort for two-month waves. In 2024, OST tested an experimental survey design that included monthly sampling and estimation and a modified questionnaire. The study concluded that the revised design resulted in more timely and accurate estimates of fishing activity. This information collection request will include a revision to transition from bi-monthly to monthly administration of the FES. The One-Month Wave Study is being removed from this collection since the study has been completed.
Additionally, the request will include an experiment to evaluate online reporting. Specifically, the collection will include a pilot study testing a web-push survey design that will encourage online reporting before providing the option of a mail response. The design will be evaluated with respect to data quality, timeliness of reporting and cost.
Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Frequency: On occasion.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB Control Number 0648-0652.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.