October 23, 2013 — The following was released by NOAA:
The NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce that all Northeast Region permitted fishing vessels are now authorized to participate in electronic vessel trip reporting (eVTR). The eVTR program enables vessel operators to submit vessel trip report information (i.e., catch, gear used, area fished, etc.) to NOAA Fisheries electronically and eliminates the requirement to submit paper logbook forms. Participation in this program is voluntary. Electronic vessel reporting was approved for use in July 2011 for a segment of the groundfish fleet, but we are now authorizing it to be used by all vessels issued a Federal Northeast fishing permit.
For questions about the eVTR program, please contact Barry Clifford at 978-281-9148 or barry.clifford@noaa.gov
To obtain an eVTR password, please contact Alison Ferguson at 978-281-9209 or Alison.Ferguson@noaa.gov
eVTR Software
To participate in the eVTR program, you must use an approved software application. The software applications FLDRS and FACTS are the only ones that NOAA Fisheries has confirmed to meet the technical requirements of eVTR submissions. Please contact the following individuals for more information about these software applications.
FLDRS software:
Joan Palmer, Northeast Fisheries Science Center: 508-495-2247 or Joan.Palmer@noaa.gov
Jon O’Neil, Northeast Fisheries Science Center: 508-495-2207 or Jon.ONeil@noaa.gov
FACTS software:
Bryan Stevenson, Electric Edge Systems Group: 250-480-0642 or bryan@electricedgesystems.com
Additional software alternatives may become available in the future.