The History, Development and Implementation of an Electronic Logbook Program in the Gulf of Mexico Penaeid Shrimp Fishery

The penaeid shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States.  Measures of the directed effort from this fishery are used to monitor the status of the shrimp stocks and to estimate bycatch of finfish and protected species.  The Electronic Logbook (ELB) data collection program for the Gulf of Mexico offshore penaeid shrimp fishery began in FY2004 to provide better estimates of fishing effort.  This program uses a GPS unit connected to a small computer to periodically collect location data for a volunteer and randomly-selected sample of vessels.  Activity at a given location is determined by analysis of vessel speed and relationship of a specific observation to observations surrounding it. Data are analyzed to calculate detected tows, which are summarized into detected trips. Trip data are matched with NMFS landing data to associate catch with effort.  Approximately 500 vessels in the Gulf of Mexico have ELBs, and effort and bycatch estimates have greatly improved since the program’s inception.  This critical program is supported by the shrimp industry and has become a main and reliable source of scientifically sound data in support of fisheries management.