Saving Seafood

One Week Left! As of November 10, VTRs Will Be Required To Be Reported Electronically and Paper VTRs Will No Longer Be Accepted

October 3, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Beginning November 10, 2021, GARFO-permitted commercial fishing vessels will be required to have an electronic device onboard the vessel at the time of the trip and submit with that device a completed report electronically within 48 hours of the end of a trip. This also applies to vessels holding a NEFMC for-hire permit. This does not apply to vessels holding only an American lobster permit.

•Paper vessel trip reports packages will no longer be distributed by GARFO.

•We will only accept electronic VTRs for trips beginning on or after Nov 10.

•For a limited period of time after Nov 10, trips beginning prior to Nov 10 that are submitted on paper VTRs will be accepted.

•Vessel owners who submit paper VTRs for trips beginning prior to Nov 10 will be individually notified when we no longer will accept paper VTRs.

See our webpage for more information on the requirements, and use this decision tree to help you decide if you need to use eVTR.

How to Report

•GARFO, our partners, and several companies have developed applications that meet our eVTR reporting requirements. There are software apps for virtually all smart phones, tablets and computers.

•An up-to-date listing can be found on our Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting Software Options web page along with instructions on how to use GARFO’s apps and links to partner apps.

More Information and Resources

Port Agents:

•Based in offices from Maine through Virginia, Port Agents are available to provide remote and in-person eVTR app assistance to individuals or small groups throughout the region.

•You may contact a Port Agent directly, or through our Vessel Reporting Help Desk at (978) 281-9188 or nmfs.gar.reporting@noaa.gov.  Contact information for Port Agents and their areas of coverage can be found here.

Webinars:

•We have held a series of instructional webinars for vessel operators.

•Recordings of these can be found on our events webpage.

Other Resources:

To keep in touch on the latest information regarding eVTR implementation and other vessel reporting topics you can sign up for our bulletins. To sign up or to update your existing subscriptions, go to our sign up page. Once you are on the sign up page follow these directions:

•Bulletins are listed under the Regional Updates subscription topic.

•Under the New England/Mid-Atlantic Updates sub-topic.

•Click the + sign to expand the list, and select eVTR and VMS updates.

•Then click submit at the bottom.

Questions?

Contact your local Port Agent.

Attention! Vessel Owners and Operators: VTRs Will Be Required To Be Reported Electronically Starting November 10 and We Will No Longer Be Accepting Paper VTRs

October 26, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Beginning November 10, 2021, GARFO-permitted commercial fishing vessels will be required to have an electronic device onboard the vessel at the time of the trip and submit with that device a completed report electronically within 48 hours of the end of a trip. This also applies to vessels holding a NEFMC for-hire permit. This does not apply to vessels holding only an American lobster permit.

  • See our webpage for more information on the requirements, and use this decision tree to help you decide if you need to use eVTR.Paper vessel trip reports packages will no longer be distributed by GARFO.
  • After November 10, we will only accept electronic VTRs.
  • If you have any delinquent VTRs, please mail them as soon as possible for processing before the deadline.  

How to Report

  • GARFO, our partners, and several companies have developed applications that meet our eVTR reporting requirements. There are software apps for virtually all smart phones, tablets and computers.
  • An up-to-date listing can be found on our Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting Software Options web page along with instructions on how to use GARFO’s apps and links to partner apps.

More Information and Resources

Port Agents:

  • Based in offices from Maine through Virginia, Port Agents are available to provide remote and in-person eVTR app assistance to individuals or small groups throughout the region.
  • You may contact a Port Agent directly, or through our Vessel Reporting Help Desk at (978) 281-9188 or nmfs.gar.reporting@noaa.gov.  Contact information for Port Agents and their areas of coverage can be found here.

Webinars:

Other Resources:

To keep in touch on the latest information regarding eVTR implementation and other vessel reporting topics you can sign up for our bulletins. To sign up or to update your existing subscriptions, go to our sign up page. Once you are on the sign up page follow these directions:

  • Bulletins are listed under the Regional Updates subscription topic.
  • Under the New England/Mid-Atlantic Updates sub-topic.
  • Click the + sign to expand the list, and select eVTR and VMS updates.
  • Then click submit at the bottom.

Questions?

Contact your local Port Agent.

MAFMC to Offer Training on Electronic Vessel Trip Reports for the For-Hire Community

April 6, 2017 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) is hosting two workshops in late April to help the for-hire community prepare for submitting Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) electronically.  The Council approved a measure last year that will phase out the current paper-based reports over the coming year. For-hire vessel operators/owners who must report VTRs for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic Council will need to report using their mobile device or personal computer in order to be in compliance. Such options are already available on a voluntary basis.

While all options for electronic reporting will be briefly discussed, the workshops will focus on hands-on training for the eTrips/mobile and eTrips/PC system, a free program developed by the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP). Instruction and guidance will be led by Rick Bellavance, Owner/Operator of Priority Fishing Charters in Point Judith, Rhode Island, and ACCSP staff.

When:

April 25th, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 pm at the Hilton Mystic Hotel 20 Coogan Blvd., Mystic CT 06355. Phone: (860) 572-0731.

Hotel room reservations (night prior or night after) if needed under a group block rate: Group Code: MAFMC.  Reservations phone # 1-800-HILTONS(1-800-445-8667).  The cut-off date is April 10th.

April 27th. 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Baltimore-BWI Airport, 890 Elkridge Landing Rd, Linthicum Heights, MD  21090. Phone:  (410) 859-8400.

Room Reservations (night prior or night after) under group block rate: http://doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/groups/personalized/B/BWIBADT-MAF-20170426/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG; Group Name: Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council; Group Code: MAF.

Participation is limited to 30 individuals per workshop!

Registration: To register for one of the workshops, visit http://www.mafmc.org/forms/evtr-workshop-registration.

What to Bring: It would be extremely helpful to bring an electronic tablet or laptop capable of connecting to the internet via W-Fi. For the mobile-based version, participants will need either a Google account (for Android systems) or an iTunes account (for Apple systems) to download the eTrips/mobile app. This will allow you to work along with the instructors and be set up and ready to begin electronic reporting once you leave the workshop.