Recreational fishermen in federal waters off Hawai'i must register with the federal government beginning Jan. 1, 2009.

It will 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 today.

Registration will be free of charge for the first two years of the program and then an annual fee will be assessed. Officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said from Washington this morning the fee is expected to be $15-$25 per year once it is imposed in 2011.

Federal waters covered by the new 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 must register annually.

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 program will apply to spear fishermen.