Recreational fishermen in federal waters off Hawai'i would be required to register with the federal government beginning Jan. 1, 2009, under a rule proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It would be the first registration/permitting system ever adopted here. Only seven other states — on the eastern U.S. seaboard north of New Jersey — have not implemented a saltwater recreational fishing registry, federal officials said yesterday.

Under the proposed rule, recreational anglers and spearfishers would be required to register annually and NOAA would not charge a registration fee in the first two years. Beginning in 2011, the annual fee would be an estimated $15 to $25 per angler, NOAA officials from Washington said yesterday.

Federal waters covered by the regulation are between three and 200 miles off the coast of the state.

Native Hawaiians and other indigenous people who fish for subsistence will be exempt from fees but still would have to register annually.

NOAA's Fisheries Service is seeking comment from the public on the proposed rule. After gathering comments, officials hope to have a final rule by November.

The proposed rule is part of a larger initiative of NOAA's Fisheries Service to improve the quality and accuracy of data on marine recreational fishing and catches. NOAA officials said the registry will be used to compile data on the numbers of fish taken by recreational anglers annually to better protect and preserve Hawaiian saltwater fisheries.

The registry also would help measure the economic benefits of recreational fishing on the national and local economies.

Bill Robinson, NOAA regional administrator in Hawai'i, said he did not know why the state has not enacted a licensing program for saltwater recreational fishermen.

If such a program was in place, recreational anglers who fish in federal waters here would be exempted from the new federal registry, as long as the state program met federal standards, Robinson said.

"From time to time, we have had discussions with the state, particularly in the lead-up to the 2009 deadline," Robinson said.

Robinson noted that recreational anglers who fish from chartered fishing boats also are exempted from the registration requirement because they will be covered by reports filed by operators of the charter boats.

Recreational fishermen in federal waters here commonly land pelagic or open sea fish such as 'ahi and aku tuna, billfish and mahimahi, Robinson said.

Bottom fishing for fish such as onaga also is a popular sport here, he noted.

Fishery management officials have a good idea of how many fish are landed here commercially but information on recreational catches is spotty at best, Robinson said yesterday.

"The whole objective behind the program is to get accurate information about recreational fishing," he said.

"It's a large and growing component and we know the least about it."

Roy Morioka, a member of the Hawai'i Marine Recreational Information Program, said he supports NOAA's proposed rule.

"In Hawai'i, most people feel it's a right to fish, but I believe when we share the nation's resources, that it is a privilege," Morioka said. "As a privilege, we're all accountable and we have a duty to be part of the process ... one where as a good steward, we should be reporting what we take out of the resource base."

Kitty Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Fisheries Management Council, also agrees with the registration requirement.

The council, which is among eight regional fishery management councils nationwide, is charged with developing quotas for all of the fisheries, Simonds said.

"We get information from the commercial fisheries ... but the information that is lacking is from recreational fishing," Simonds said. "This is an attempt to begin to gather information from that sector, so it's a good thing."

Federal officials until now have had to rely on random telephone surveys of residents whose numbers are listed in the phone book, Robinson said.

"That gives only very rough estimates and is not a great tool for fisheries management," he said.

The new registry will be used as "a phone book of fishermen," for annual surveys of recreational anglers, Robinson said. The information would not be made public.