Saltwater

National Saltwater Angler Registry (MRIP)

MRIP Registry Information The new National Saltwater Angler Registry was launched by the federal government on Jan. 1, 2010 and will require virtually all saltwater recreational anglers in the United States (including Virginia) to call each year and register. The program is an effort to build a complete and accurate "phonebook" to better contact anglers to obtain catch information directly from them. Registration can be done through a toll-free number, 1-888-674-7411, or online at www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov. Anglers will be required to provide their names, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, and the regions where they intend to fish, although they will not be restricted to fishing only in those regions and will not be required to register separately for each region in which they fish. There will be no charge to register until 2011, at which point an annual registration fee of about $25 a year will apply. All fees collected through this federal program will go to the U.S. treasury. Those exempted from Registry requirements are: anglers under the age of 16; those who only fish on licensed charter, party or guide boats; hold a Highly Migratory Species Angling permit; or hold and are fishing under a valid commercial or subsistence fishing license or permit. The National Saltwater Angler Registry is a federal, not state, requirement. State fishing license fees will continue to be required. For more information on the Registry, please go to www.CountMyFish.noaa.gov. A Virginia Marine Resources Commission report to the General Assembly on the subject can be found in the following document: