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Old 03-03-2016, 01:57 PM   #1
MakoMike
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Location: Newtown, CT
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Atlantic HMS Tournament Economics Study

From March 2016 through February 2017, NOAA Fisheries will conduct a web-based survey of Atlantic Highly Migratory Species (HMS) tournament operators and participants. The agency will collect data on the costs associated with operating and participating in these events. These data from billfish, tuna, shark, and swordfish tournaments in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico will allow NOAA Fisheries to provide the best available science to fishery managers to better understand the economic contributions of these tournaments to coastal communities.

While completion of this survey is completely voluntary, your participation is highly encouraged and would be most appreciated.

Recreational fisheries are important to the national economy; saltwater angler expenditures contribute $56 billion in total economic output annually. While billfish tournaments have been surveyed in the past, this survey has never before been conducted for all Atlantic HMS tournaments.

Operators of all registered HMS tournaments will be asked to participate in the survey. About half of registered tournaments will be randomly selected to survey tournament participants. The responses to these surveys will be entered into economic models that will show how the money spent at HMS tournaments supports community businesses such as restaurants, hotels, tackle and bait shops, marinas, and other coastal businesses. The information gained from this survey can help to minimize impacts on coastal communities from changes in fishery regulations and also help NOAA Fisheries to better understand the effects of natural phenomena, species abundance, and economic change on coastal communities.

By participating in voluntary surveys like the Atlantic HMS Tournament Survey of 2016, fishermen can actively contribute to the best management practices of fisheries in the United States.

For more information on the survey, please contact George Silva at George.Silva@noaa.gov, or see our factsheet.

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