Recreational fishing is a traditional American pastime integral to social, cultural, and economic life in coastal communities across the nation. This time-honored activity allows millions access to America's great outdoors each year, while generating billions of dollars in economic activity. Traditionally shaped by commercial forces, demographic, market, and ecological shifts are changing the nature of U.S. fisheries. Our nation's expansive coastal and ocean resources face increasing pressure as coastal populations grow, and more people pursue recreational opportunities in ecologically important marine and estuarine areas. The purpose of this book is to provide guidance for Agency consideration in its deliberations pertaining to development and maintenance of enduring and sustainable high quality saltwater recreational fisheries. This policy identifies goals and guiding principles to be integrated into NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) planning, budgeting, decision-making, and activities, and includes examples of implementation concepts and strategies supported by NMFS. Moreover, this book provides a detailed overview of the operating structure of the "average" Northeast for-hire head boat and charter boat, and estimates the economic activity that for-hire businesses contribute to the Northeast's economy as measured by total employment, labor income, and sales. Lastly, this book examines challenges that have been identified with the NMFS' data collection efforts for managing marine recreational fisheries and steps the agency has taken to improve data collection and challenges that remain.
