Q:
It seems like there should be other fishing data available on the map viewer. Why don’t I see it there?
A:
To protect the livelihood of commercial fishers providing the information.
- Washington State Law exempts some commercial fishing data from public disclosure if the release of the data would result in an unfair disadvantage to the commercial fisher providing the data. Federal law designates regional Fishery Management Plans to manage fish stocks in United States waters and limit the sharing of confidential information.
- Not all fisheries have logbook requirements (such as salmon troll and sablefish fisheries) in Washington’s marine waters, so there is no information to display.
The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) releases exempted commercial fishing catch location data in an aggregated, summarized form and explores alternative ways of displaying information to protect data confidentiality.
On the MSP data viewer:
Fishing intensity maps give the public a general sense of where different non-tribal commercial and recreational fishing activities take place. The data are aggregated to protect confidentiality and comply with federal and state laws.
For the plan’s analysis:
All available data at the highest resolution possible will be used to characterize the status of the fishing industry and the economic contribution of fisheries to the coastal economy. The plan will also address trade-offs between potential impacts from and benefits of potential new uses.
For more information: