The Recreational Fishing Community (RFC) of MetroNY and Mid Atlantic spends billions a year purchasing boats, tackle equipment, bait, gas, food and supplies. With the advent of faster, more seaworthy boats it is imperative that weather forecasts bring real-time, accurate and timely information to these people plying the oceans from coastal waters to areas off the continental shelf of the Hudson and like Canyons. Current methodology is flawed; a real-time weather and sea condition buoy is desired and necessary for safety and offshore travel.Over 800 anglers, charter captains, sports writers, local clubs, marinas, local politicians and state legislators have signed a petition for such a deployment.

The Recreational Fishing Community (RFC)

The Freeport Tuna Club is the oldest and largest on Long Island

There are thousands of recreational anglers who belong to a fishing club. It is here that much information is passed on from one member to another.

Many of these people attend multiple boat, sport, industry events all incorporating their love of fishing. It is at these venues where important news, events, and user information is shared.

More and more clubs have newsletters and/or a website where important club information is found.

Macoora has an opportunity to reach these anglers through these avenues of interest.

The RFC needs and wants more information for safer and more productive ocean trips. Some of this data exists but not easily available to the user.We need to find ways to make research easier

to find, use, and incorporated into the lives of fishing stakeholders.

One successful story of shared information is Rutgers Marine Sciences. RFC has worked informally with Rutgers for a couple of years. The COOLROOM features of Sea Temps was influenced by local stakeholders and now is enthusiastically used by the area’s

anglers. Other areas of this site, and other Macoora member sites have value to the RFC but they need to get into RFC related hands. Information needs include: -localized real time weather -real time sea conditions -sub-surface temps -enhanced sea temp data -offshore VHF broadcasts -coordination between Gov and institutional entities for comprehensive sharing of observing resources; for example, using the Macoora website as a central distribution point of

news from the USCG, NOAA, NWS, Ocean US, NMFS, MMS along with Macoora

member news developments that would affect this recreational community.