Recreational Fishing Metadata Project
Hawaii Pelagic Recreational Fishing Data
The Recreational Fishing Metadata Project was initiated to document and compile, into database format, sources of Hawaii's pelagic recreational fishing information. Though no official record of Hawaii's recreational fishery sector exists, many resources are available in the form of surveys, previous studies, club records, tournament weigh-in records, newspaper articles, and fisher logbooks. The revival of the Hawaii Marine Recreational Fishing Survey in the early 1990s provided information on recreational catch and effort, but those surveys did not capture information from fishing tournaments or fishing club events, which are an important component of Hawaii's fishing culture.
This project's goal is to 1) make published and gray literature available to fisheries managers and scientists through an easily accessible Web site, 2) compile a database of all recreational catch and effort data, and 3) facilitate research on the recreational pelagic fishery and how it is impacted by legislation and management.
Pertinent literature is provided in PDF format with accompanying tables in spreadsheet files. A catch and effort database with summaries may be available to fishery managers and scientists upon NMFS approval for investigating long-term trends in pelagic species abundance, catch rates, and recreational fishing effort. Please contact us for further information.
The project would like to thank fishing club members, tournament organizers, and businesses who have contributed data. Your help has been greatly appreciated.
