We try to be clear about where things come from.
A tide prediction, a published study, a guide's firsthand observation, a report from another angler, and Saltline's own read can all be useful. They are not the same kind of evidence.
Official first.
Tide, weather, regulations, closures, navigation, and safety start with the responsible agency or original dataset.
Saltline may make official information easier to find or understand. It does not replace the official source.
Research and named observation add context.
Peer-reviewed and university research, Sea Grant, and qualified conservation work can help explain the why behind the water.
A named guide, captain, waterman, fisheries professional, tackle operator, or marine technician may also notice something useful firsthand. That should be labeled as observation, with the date and general area when permission allows.
Other anglers raise questions. They do not settle them.
"Community" means anglers and users who choose to send a report, correction, or question.
Saltline does not scrape private groups. It does not ask for secret spots. A community report can point toward something worth checking; it does not prove a broad claim.
When it is our own read, we should say so.
Sometimes Saltline connects several pieces of information and sees a possible pattern. That is an inference, not a fact. It should be labeled, used carefully, and changed when better evidence shows up.
Where the data can fall short.
- The nearest tide station may not describe the timing in one creek.
- A weather forecast can change.
- Upstream data can be delayed, missing, or wrong.
- Habitat and species patterns vary by season, life stage, and place.
- Rules and closures can change after a summary is written.
- A firsthand observation may not apply outside the place and time it was made.
What Saltline uses today.
These are the public data sources documented in Saltline today:
- NOAA — tide predictions and water temperature
- Open-Meteo — weather and wind
- State and federal fishery agencies — size, season, and bag limits are compiled from SCDNR (South Carolina), NCDMF (North Carolina), VMRC (Virginia), and federal sources (NOAA Fisheries / SAFMC). Each limit is date-stamped when it was last confirmed and re-verified on a schedule. The agency's current published rule always governs.
Species and seasonal context are checked against the same agency sources. We would rather leave a source off this list than name one we have not verified.
See something we should check?
Send the source, region, date, and what you noticed.
Or email support@saltline.ai.