March 1, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
KEY MESSAGE:
NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office will host weekly question and answer webinar sessions to assist participants with program information and compliance.
WHEN:
The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday evenings starting at 6:30 PM, EST, from March 2 to March 30, 2021. The webinar will continue each Tuesday evening for as long as people have questions.
To register for the webinars and access additional information, such as tool-kits and instructional videos, go to: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/recreational-fishing-data/southeast-hire-electronic-reporting-program.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Program staff and software vendor representatives will participate in these webinars to answer questions and resolve issues users identify. These webinars are for anyone with an interest in the Southeast Electronic For-Hire Program and specifically, any captain, owner, or lessee running a headboat or charter trip on a boat with any of the following permits: Atlantic coastal migratory pelagics, Atlantic dolphin wahoo, South Atlantic snapper-grouper, Gulf of Mexico reef fish, and Gulf of Mexico coastal migratory pelagics.
NOAA Fisheries implemented the new Southeast For-Hire Electronic Reporting Program in January 2021. This program will provide more timely catch, effort, and discard information from federally-permitted for-hire vessels, to be used in future fish population assessments and management evaluations.
Please call our customer service hotline with any questions (available from 8:00-4:30, EST) at 1-833-707-1632 or email us at ser.electronicreporting@noaa.gov.
Please know that NOAA Fisheries is here to help, and we respect your time and business operations. We look forward to working with you during the implementation phase of this new program. Our goals are to provide each fisherman with excellent customer service, improve for-hire data collection, and reduce the amount of time you spend reporting so you can focus more time on your customers.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.