Implementation of Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting (eVTR) In the New England Groundfish Sectors

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute is currently testing the feasibility of adopting electronic solutions for vessel reporting requirements across a range of sector and common pool vessels in the northeast groundfish fleet.  This includes testing a range of electronic logbook products (FLDRS, Olfish DDL, and FishTrax) in conjunction with the NMFS’ web-based data entry system to identify obstacles to their use and compatibility with NMFS’ data collection systems.  To date, 32 captains have been provided with electronic equipment, software, training, and support under this project, and software providers have received support to modify and fine-tune their software to meet reporting needs.

Review of the project to-date indicates that electronic Vessel Trip Reporting (eVTR) is a plausible reporting method that may in the future serve as a viable alternative to paper-based vessel reporting. At this time however several challenges and limitations exist, including: cost of installation and maintenance of electronic logbooks; cost of adaptation and time before proficient reporting occurs from the fleet, and; cost and reliability of ship to shore data transmission. This presentation will review the progress of this study. It will describe the attributes of each electronic logbook product, challenges of onboard installation, operation, and transmission, and thoughts for future application and development.