Starting Jan. 1, 2011, some saltwater anglers in the Virgin Islands must register with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and pay a $15 fee.
For those who register before Dec. 31, registration is free for one year, said Forbes Darby, recreational fisheries coordinator at NOAA’s Fisheries Service.
“In the U.S. Virgin Islands, registration applies to those who fish in federal waters,” Darby said.
According to Darby, federal waters are anything outside the three-mile territorial limit. Fishermen fishing within three miles are in territorial waters and are subject to territorial laws and regulations, not federal laws.
Charter boat captains who already hold a Highly Migratory Species Charter Boat/Head Boat permit do not need this permit, he said.
Such a captain, Darby said, “is automatically registered in the National Saltwater Angler Registry and needs to take no further action to become compliant. In other words, we’ve already taken those with that particular federal permit and included them in the federal registry so there’s no need for them to register again separately with us because it would be duplicative."
Others who don’t need to register include people under 16, those who pay to fish only on for-hire boats, hold an individual Highly Migratory Species Angling Permit, are fishing commercially under a valid license, or are registered through an exempted state.
Darby indicated anglers will need to provide their name, date of birth, address and telephone number, and will receive a registration number that will allow them to begin fishing immediately. They will receive a registration card in the mail in about 30 days.
The registry came about as a way to keep tabs on saltwater catches. Its goal is to help ensure that managers, anglers, and other stakeholders have reliable information necessary to manage fish stocks and their surrounding ecosystems for generations to come.
The National Saltwater Angler Registry, which began a year ago, will serve as a “phone book” of the nation’s sport fishermen. The registry will enable NOAA to more effectively gather information from saltwater fishermen, enhancing the agency’s ability to produce the most timely and accurate information possible about the health of recreational fish stocks.
Most important, the registry will enable NOAA and anglers to more effectively work together to protect the long-term sustainability of oceans and sport fishing.
“By registering, recreational anglers will make their catch count," Jim Balsiger, acting administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service, said in a press release. “The National Saltwater Angler Registry is an important tool that will enable us to better estimate the health of marine fisheries so that we’re able to preserve the pastime of recreational saltwater fishing for generations to come."
Register at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov or at 888-674-7411.
