President directs expansion of saltwater recreational fishing access and modern data systems

What this order does

• Prioritizes recreational saltwater fishing in federal ocean and coastal decision-making and emphasizes its economic importance ($1.2 trillion annual outdoor recreation sector; over 5 million jobs).

Key actions and deadlines

• Within 30 days: agencies shall begin suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that ‘‘overly burden’’ boaters, anglers, and outdoor businesses.
• Within 60 days: agencies must evaluate transitioning to multi-year permits (minimum 3 years) with a presumption of renewal and DOI must establish a Federal Outer Continental Shelf Reef-in-Place Program. Agencies should aim to launch a unified interagency Special Use Permit portal within 1 year.
• Within 90 days: NOAA to implement a standardized Real-Time Depredation Reporting protocol for shark and pinniped depredation.
• Within 120 days: NOAA and DOI to review and possibly revise policies for artificial reefs in National Marine Sanctuaries and Monuments.
• Within 180 days: Commerce/NOAA to review Magnuson-Stevens National Standards guidance for recreational fisheries and develop a 5-year plan to improve recreational fisheries economic data.

Data, technology, and science changes

• NOAA is ordered to modernize recreational catch-and-effort data, evaluate phasing out mail-in surveys, and deploy standardized mobile apps for mandatory and voluntary electronic reporting.
• Where NOAA’s MRIP data have high Percent Standard Error (PSE), agency guidance may allow substitution of lower-error state data for management decisions.
• At least two pilot programs must be created with angling communities to test new recreational data collection and management approaches.

Other measures

• Establish an Interagency Shark and Pinniped Depredation Task Force and pursue international trade and regulatory actions to support sustainable shark fisheries.
• Direct DOI and Fish and Wildlife to identify and remove hurdles delaying Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund disbursements and to coordinate restoration efforts.

Limits

• The order must be implemented consistent with law and funding availability and does not create enforceable private rights.