Workshop to Establish GulfFIN Recreational Data Standards
A workshop to to establish recreational data standards and identify the pathway to developing the data management system for receiving, warehousing and disseminating state recreational survey data.
About
The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), with support from NOAA Fisheries and other federal, regional, and state partners, is hosting the third and final Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funded workshop to achieve two major objectives. The first is to establish recreational data standards that will help outline data collection priorities for state recreational data surveys in the Gulf of Mexico while also identifying resources needed to make improvements at both the commission and state data management systems to meet agreed upon standards. The second objective will be to identify the pathway to developing the data management system for receiving, warehousing and disseminating state recreational survey data within GulfFIN at Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.
When/Where
February 4 - 5, 2025
The Lodge at Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama (21196 East Beach Blvd., Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542)
A virtual meeting link and finalized agenda will be provided here and on the GSMFC website in January 2025 for anyone interested in listening to the discussions.
Why
Inflation Reduction Act funding has been allocated for GSMFC to host a workshop to establish recreational data standards that will help outline data collection priorities for state recreational data surveys and identify the pathway to developing the data management system for receiving, warehousing and disseminating state recreational survey data.
IRA funding enhancements will help address scientific and management uncertainty for red snapper and dozens of other species. This will benefit millions of anglers in the world’s largest recreational fisheries. The intention is to set the gold standard for validation and improvement of state and federal recreational data collection to provide better measures of catch, effort, and discards. The Gulf Fisheries Information Network, administered by GSMFC, will become a central clearinghouse for all Gulf of Mexico recreational data. This includes enhancements to state data management and processing systems. This will allow for increased data timeliness and seamless data integration for use in science and management. We will use advanced technologies and artificial intelligence to capture more reliable reef fish abundance data.
A draft work plan will be developed to fund projects throughout the Southeast in 2025 and 2026.
Contacts
Gregg Bray, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, gbray@gsmfc.org
Stephen Poland, NOAA Fisheries, stephen.poland@noaa.gov