Recreational Angler Survey of Sea Turtle Interactions Fi

Recreational Angler Survey of Sea Turtle Interactions

Fishing Site Characterization

(To be filled out once at each site, unless conditions change)

Data collector: _______________________________________________________________________

Site Name: __________________________________________________________________________

Site Abbreviation: ______________________ Site Type: ___________________________________

Street address: _______________________________________________________________________

City/State: ________________________________________ County: ___________________________

GPS Coordinates (decimal degrees) at land/water line: _______________________________________

1. Location: G) Gulf L) Lagoon B) Bay S) Sound E) Estuary R) River

2. Ownership information: C) City/County S) State F) Federal P) Private U) Unknown

3. Does pier have a Biological Opinion? YES NO

4. Can vehicles drive on the pier? YES NO

5. Hours of operation: _____________________________________________________________

6. Is the pier staffed? YES NO

7. If staffed, hours staff are present: __________________________________________________

8. Estimated length: ______________(m)

9. Estimated water depth: ______________(m)

10. Surrounding habitat (if available): A) Artificial reef N) Natural reef G) Seagrass bed S) Sand bottom M) Mud bottom U) Unknown

11. Are bait stations and/or fish cleaning stations present? YES NO

12. Is the pier open at night? YES NO

13. Is the pier lighted? YES NO

14. Is there any signage regarding protected species (i.e. sea turtles, dolphins, etc.)? YES NO

15. Signage description: ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Are there receptacles for monofilament recycling or disposal of fishing gear? YES NO

17. Description of monofilament recycling stations _______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Notable descriptive features of pier: ________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

19. Participates in the Responsible Pier Initiative with Loggerhead MarineLife Center? YES NO

20. Website/Notes:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Instructions

Please complete as many fields as possible. Document and photograph any signs, bait cleaning stations, monofilament recycling containers, and anything that is noteworthy. If the pier is new or is closed due to hurricane damage, etc. please also note that as well and date, if known. If the pier is currently closed, record it as “Currently closed” in Question #5, Hours of Operation. Pier Abbreviation is used for data entry and is created by the survey administrator in consultation with NOAA Fisheries to ensure that each abbreviation is unique for each state.

PRA STATEMENT
Recreational Angler Survey of Sea Turtle Interactions
OMB Control Number: XXX-XXXX

Expiration Date: 12/31/2026

1. SURVEY JUSTIFICATION

Collection of these data on sea turtle interactions in the pier-based recreational fishing sector is necessary to fulfill statutory requirements of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq.) Section 7 analysis, and will provide necessary data for the conservation and recovery of endangered and threatened sea turtle populations.

B. SURVEY PURPOSE

The sea turtle interaction data that will be collected via this survey collection will be used by NOAA Fisheries protected species managers to evaluate the impacts of recreational fishing on sea turtle populations. Analysis of data collected from this survey will be used in agency documents, such as ESA Section 7 Biological Opinions and other regulatory documents. These documents are disseminated to the public, but the raw survey results will not be disseminated to the public. NOAA Fisheries will retain control over the information and safeguard it from improper access, modification, and destruction, consistent with NOAA standards for confidentiality, privacy, and electronic information.

C. PUBLIC BURDEN

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other suggestions for reducing this burden to Sara Wissmann, NOAA Fisheries, Office of Protected Resources, sara.wissmann@noaa.gov.

D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Participation in this survey is voluntary. The information collected will be protected and kept anonymous if released. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subjected to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

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OMB Control No.: XXX-XXX Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX