FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The folk wisdom of yesteryear contended, “As General Motors goes, so goes the nation.” While many economists say that is proving to be true, those of us living along the Alabama coast are more closely tied financially to chum and charter boats than bucket seats and Buicks.

A new report from the NOAA Fisheries Service suggests that saltwater recreational fishing “continued to provide important economic benefits to America’s coastal communities in 2008, bringing fishermen to the shore to reel in fish, book spots on charter and party boats, buy bait and tackle, stay in local inns and eat at local restaurants.”

Recreational anglers took an estimated 85 million saltwater fishing trips in 2008, which was down only slightly from the 93 million trips estimated in 2007.

During those 2008 trips, the anglers caught an estimated 464 million fish, down from the 475 million caught in 2007. NOAA officials say the moderate decreases reflect relative stability in saltwater angling.

“Saltwater recreational fishing is one of the most popular outdoor sports in America, and those who take part in it bring economic vitality to coastal towns and cities,” NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco stated. She still remembers her first experiences saltwater fishing for salmon with her father aboard a charter boat off the Oregon coast.

That type of excursion can be lucrative, according to the big picture painted by NOAA. Figures the agency obtained indicate saltwater angling in the United States generates an estimated $82 million in sales and supports more than 500,000 jobs annually.

Capt. Scott Lindsey, a recreational fisherman and outdoor writer based in Panama City, Fla., said, “Last year we had gas prices around $4 a gallon and people did not go fishing as they had in 2007. All in all, I believe the quality of the fish this year is better and the size of the fish we’re catching is larger than we have seen in many a year. Is it cyclical or management? We’ll have to wait and see.”

Lindsey is not alone in his positive assessment of the current crop of fish being harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. Capt. Ben Fairey, president of the Orange Beach Fishing Association (OBFA), said charter boats here are bringing back a nice bounty as well, but federal limits are making it tough.

“We’ve had a very strong summer season,” Fairey said. “The National Marine Fisheries Service has seen fit to regulate our red snapper industry, and it’s hurting our fleet.”

Red snapper off the Alabama coast is managed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council through the Reef Fish FMP, implemented in 1984. Since the late 1980s, Gulf red snapper has been considered overfished and now undergoing overfishing.

Mortality of juvenile red snapper caught in shrimp trawls has only made the replenishment of the red snapper stock tougher.

A rebuilding program to restore the red snapper stock by 2032 is under way. Recreational fishing regulations include a daily bag limit of two fish per person, a season closure, an annual quota of 2.45 million pounds, a 16-inch (total length) minimum size limit, and a limited access program for for-hire vessels.

Commercial fishing regulations include a 13-inch minimum size limit, an annual quota of 2.55 million pounds, gear restrictions, closed areas and an individual fishing quota (IFQ) program.

The IFQ program allocates individual shares of the commercial quota to fishermen. The fishermen may harvest their quotas whenever they choose to do so and must report their harvest.

The NOAA Fisheries Service also implemented long-term regulations to address overfishing and bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico red snapper and shrimp fisheries in January 2008. These measures include revising the rebuilding plan, reducing the total allowable catch (TAC) of red snapper to 5 million pounds, limiting recreational harvest with a two-fish daily bag limit and shorter fishing season, prohibiting for-hire (charter) captain and crew from having a bag limit, modifying the commercial minimum size limit, establishing gear requirements to reduce bycatch and implementing measures to constrain shrimp harvest should red snapper bycatch reduction targets not be met.

“We’ve got June, July and half of August (72 days),” Fairey said. “That makes it hard for our industry to make a living. If we had any bad weather, these guys would be in trouble.

“He added, “National Marine Fisheries admits their data is not very good. They admitted they are not using the best science available. They are working on a new study.”

Why is red snapper so popular that anglers are spending millions in pursuit of the species?

Fairey said, “It’s easy to catch, it’s excellent table fare and everyone can have a rod and reel in their hand.” He estimated that around 125 charter boats operate along our coast, from Dauphin Island to Orange Beach. Only about 75 are members of OBFA, he noted.

“Saltwater anglers have their eyes on the water and a vested interest in sustaining fishing opportunities for their children and grandchildren,” Lubchenco pointed out. “They are natural champions for ocean stewardship.”

The report states saltwater anglers demonstrated their conservation ethic by catching and releasing back into the water some 58 percent of the 2008 catch, slightly up from 57 percent in 2007.

Spotted sea trout was the most popular catch among marine recreational anglers in 2008. The species is caught in the Gulf of Mexico and the south Atlantic regions, which have the highest combined concentration of saltwater anglers in the nation.

The top catches in other regions were grouper (Caribbean), striped bass (North Atlantic), summer flounder (Mid-Atlantic), chub mackerel (Pacific), black rockfish (Pacific Northwest) and skipjack tuna (Western Pacific).

The reported statistics are compiled by NOAA’s Fisheries Service from face-to-face and telephone interviews with recreational fishermen.

As Fairey explained, NOAA is currently working with the coastal states and those in the saltwater angling community to redesign the agency’s surveys to provide a more complete picture of saltwater anglers’ catch and effort and improve the conservation of shared ocean resources.

The complete NOAA report is available online at http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st1/index.html.