June 2, 2026 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a rule that would require commercial fishermen holding certain federal permits to submit fishing logbooks electronically instead of using the current paper reporting system.
According to the proposal, commercial fishing logbooks are used to collect catch and effort data, including landed species and weights, fishing locations, water depths and gear types. Under the current system, NMFS mails approximately 100-page carbon-copy logbooks and postage-paid return envelopes each December to owners of federally permitted vessels.