I registered and it took less than a minute. I also wrote NOAA about MD Boat License and the new registry. Here is their response and a link to a 3 minute video on why...
Good afternoon Tom,
Thank you for the note. The quick answer to your question is no. Your registration only covers you as an individual. Unlike the Maryland boat license, the National Saltwater Angler Registry is tied specifically to you. Everyone fishing for stripers with you aboard your boat (with a few exceptions) would need to register with NOAA individually.
The reason for having each person register is so we may build up a database of anglers. We'll use this database of anglers to conduct telephone surveys about the number of fishing trips anglers have taken recently. When this trip information is combined with catch data collected from anglers at boat ramps, marinas and other fishing locations, we can get a pretty accurate picture about the total number of fish caught each year and the relative health of fish populations. We put together a 3 minute video on our website that further explains how your data is used to protect the future of fishing. You may want to check it out here:
https://www.countmyfish.noaa.gov/mri...ing_catch.html.
If there's anything else I can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Forbes
Forbes Darby
NOAA Fisheries
Tel: 301-713-9501