The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) and New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) are considering an action that will require commercial fishing operators holding federal permits for species managed by either Council to report their Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) electronically rather than on paper. Fisheries covered include: Atlantic Bluefish, Black Sea Bass, Scup, Summer Flounder, Spiny Dogfish, Tilefish, Squid, Atlantic Mackerel, Butterfish, Surfclam, Ocean Quahog, Northeast Multispecies (groundfish), Monkfish, Atlantic Herring, Skates, Small-Mesh Multispecies (whiting/hake), Red Crab, and Sea Scallop.

Electronic Vessel Trip Reports (eVTRs) allow direct entry of data by the vessel operator using an electronic-based system (computer, smart phone, tablet). They have been an option for some fisheries since 2011 and all fisheries since 2013. These eVTRs have been required for all of the Mid-Atlantic and some of the New England for-hire fleet (due to also holding MAFMC permits) since 2018.

November 20 Commercial eVTR Webinar

In preparation for a possible transition to required electronic reporting for the commercial fleet, the MAFMC will host a webinar to review eVTR options, initial steps necessary for commercial operators to begin reporting electronically, and a demonstration of two of the most popular electronic reporting applications (with limited time for questions).

• Date/Time: Wednesday, November 20, 2019, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., EST
• To Connect: Via webinar http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/evtr_publicmtg/ with a telephone audio connection (provided when connecting).
• Audio only access: Conference phone number: 1–800–832–0736; Room Number: 5765379.
• Note: The webinar will be recorded and made available on the MAFMC website (www.mafmc.org) for later viewing.