"Information on fishing locations is essential for effective socioeconomic analysis of spatial fishery management policies such as marine protected areas. Furthermore, information on the spatial distribution of fishing effort is required to adequately assess the impact of fishing on coral reef habitat and related ecosystems. Detailed information on fishing locations has not been consistently collected for recreational fisheries in the U.S. There are, however, a number of independent data sources that, taken together, can provide a more complete picture of the distribution of fishing effort. This document describes a database tool that integrates datasets related to sportfishing in South Florida to enable the exploration of spatial and temporal aspects of angling effort in the region"--Overview, paragraph 1.

Technical Memorandum

Florida

Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)