NOAA Fisheries to Require Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting for Mid-Atlantic and New England Commercial Vessels
NOAA Fisheries has approved a recommendation from both the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils to require federally permitted commercial fishing vessels to submit vessel trip reports electronically within 48 hours of the end of a trip. This requirement will take effect November 10, 2021.
This action affects all commercial vessels holding federal permits for any species managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Fishery Management Councils (see this bulletin for a complete list). The requirement will also be extended to vessels issued for-hire (charter/party) permits for New England Council-managed fisheries (i.e., Northeast multispecies). Vessels issued a Mid-Atlantic Council for-hire permit have been required to submit vessel trip reports electronically since March 2018.
The effective date of this action is being delayed for 1 year, until November 10, 2021, to allow ample time for training on the various electronic reporting applications and to allow vessel owners and operators the time to find the appropriate application for their operations. Information on eVTR applications is available on the GARFO website. Additional information on training opportunities will be posted on the Mid-Atlantic Council’s Commercial eVTR page over the upcoming year (sign up for email updates under “Stay Informed” section).
Additional Information
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Final Rule (published 11/10/20)
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MAFMC Commercial eVTR Page (Note: sign up for email updates in the “Stay Informed” section)
Source: Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council
