July 14, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Background
- Beginning November 10, 2021, GARFO-permitted commercial fishing vessels will be required to have an electronic device onboard, start an electronic vessel trip report (eVTR) for each trip, and submit completed reports within 48 hours of the end of a trip.
- Reporting requirements do not apply to vessels holding only a permit for American lobster.
- Vessels issued for-hire permits for New England Fishery Management Council-managed fisheries (i.e., Northeast multispecies) will also be required to use eVTR and report within 48 hours of the end of a trip.
- Vessels issued a for-hire permit for Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council species or a private recreational vessel tilefish permit already submit vessel trip reports electronically. See our webpage for more information on the requirements.
How to Report
- GARFO, our partners, and several companies have developed applications that meet our eVTR reporting requirements. There are software apps for virtually all smart phones, tablets and computers.
- An up-to-date listing can be found on our Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting Software Options web page along with instructions on how to use GARFO’s apps and links to partner apps.
More Information and Resources
Port Agents:
- Based in offices from Maine through Virginia, Port Agents are available to provide remote and in-person eVTR app assistance to individuals or small groups throughout the region.
- You may contact a Port Agent directly, or through our Vessel Reporting Help Desk at (978) 281-9188 or nmfs.gar.reporting@noaa.gov. Contact information for Port Agents and their areas of coverage can be found here.
Webinars:
- We will hold a series of instructional webinars for vessel operators.
- The first webinars are scheduled for Thursday, July 29 and Tuesday, August 3
- A schedule of these can be found on our events website.
- These webinars will be for commercial and multispecies for-hire vessel operators and will be scheduled geographically according to Port Agent coverage areas.
- Recordings of these trainings will also be available and posted on our website.
Other Resources:
To keep in touch on the latest information regarding eVTR implementation and other vessel reporting topics you can sign up for our bulletins. To sign up or to update your existing subscriptions, go to our sign up page. Once you are on the sign up page follow these directions:
- Bulletins are listed under the Regional Updates subscription topic.
- Under the New England/Mid-Atlantic Updates sub-topic.
- Click the + sign to expand the list, and select eVTR and VMS updates.
- Then click submit at the bottom.