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Results from Electronic Logbook Pilot Study Are Now Available
Since its inception, a key priority of MRIP has been to explore new technologies
and new methods to gather catch and trip information from the charter for-hire
industry. A pilot study was recently completed that tested the feasibility of
using electronic logbooks to collect landings and fishing effort data. An MRIP
Project Team comprised of partners from Florida, Texas, and the Gulf States
Marine Fisheries Commission, as well as a group of independent experts, worked
alongside for-hire captains to design a pilot program to collect catch and
effort data in the Florida Panhandle and Corpus Christi, Texas, during 2010 and
2011. The final project report, which provides results and recommendations for
future work, is now available online at www.countmyfish.noaa.gov.
Key project findings include the following:
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A census of for-hire catch and effort was not achieved due to non-responses
(both at the individual trip level and at the vessel level) by vessels required
to report. Logbook reports in this study were submitted for a large portion of
the total fishing effort (approximately 70% overall), but many trips validated
during the study were not reported. However, reporting compliance gradually
improved over the duration of the pilot study. The Project Team anticipates that
trend in compliance would have continued had this pilot study run for a longer
period, allowing fishermen to become more familiar with reporting requirements.
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Electronic reporting with built-in quality control features that prevent data
entry errors and omissions was an effective method for receiving high-quality
self-reported data from a large population of participants. Paper logbooks and
electronic reporting options without built-in quality control features required
more follow-up with participants to verify and attempt to correct self-reported
data. Electronic reporting options that allow users the ability to record and
store logbook data at sea facilitate better record-keeping and accurate recall
by offering more flexibility for when and how users keep track of trip details
and record logbook data.
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Current authority to enforce reporting requirements for federally permitted
vessels was effective for determining reporting compliance but was not adequate
for achieving timely reporting. Additional enforceable requirements are needed
to achieve complete and timely reporting.
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A complete accounting of charter boat catch in a region would require
identification of, and participation by, all charter boats. Authority to require
and enforce l trip reporting for non-federally permitted charter vessels varies
by state, and some states may require legislative changes to gain such
authority.
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For an ongoing logbook reporting program to remain effective, a consistent and
high level of effort by port samplers and law enforcement is required to
validate and maintain reporting compliance and timely reporting.
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Participants in the pilot study were required to report weekly, which was
sufficient to produce precise catch and effort statistics within the current
two-month wave reporting standard. However, requiring daily reporting could be
cost-prohibitive due to the increased effort required to track and validate
compliance at this higher reporting frequency.
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Comparisons in this study between logbook reports and independent field
validations by scientific personnel confirm that self-reported data are subject
to recall bias and inaccuracies in reporting; therefore individual logbook trip
reports cannot be considered a one-to-one match with independent field
validations. However, given an adequate sample size, aggregated logbook data are
potentially very useful for developing estimators for total effort,
catch-per-unit effort (CPUE), and total harvest at the regional scale. The
Project Team initiated a follow-up review of the potential for use of a
combination of logbook and dockside validation data to produce an accurate and
precise estimate of catch. Methods of estimating cumulative monthly catch and
effort during periods of high fishing activity, and bi-monthly catch and effort
during periods of low fishing activity are under development.
Several potential benefits from a logbook reporting system were recognized from
this study and the Project Team did not rule out logbook reporting as a feasible
method for the collection of catch and effort statistics from the for-hire
sector. Given adequate resources and long-term funding commitments, this method
may be feasible for a large geographic area with a large number of vessels, but
may not be feasible for small states or regions with small numbers of vessels.
However, immediate implementation of a logbook requirement for federal permit
holders is not likely to achieve a complete and accurate census of catch and
effort. Accordingly, MRIP expects to continue to maintain the current surveys,
working with our state partners, pending availability of certified data
collection alternatives that regional partners wish to implement. Overall, this
project demonstrated to MRIP that successfully moving to electronic logbook
reporting and/or a for-hire census approach will require several elements:
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Working closely and in partnership with the captains who will use the program;
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Conducting substantial outreach and engagement to ensure support, buy-in, and
ongoing participation, and to prioritize data needs with respect to issues such
as timeliness, geographic scale, and accuracy;
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Ensuring adequate funding, resources, and the statutory authorities to ensure
compliance and to maintain validation;
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Developing effective methods for identifying eligible vessels, and reporting
catch and discards; and
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Having clear commitments among all the regional partners to deliver the
resources and authorities necessary to carry out an electronic trip reporting
program with the necessary supporting validation, compliance monitoring and
enforcement, port and sea sampling, and data reporting and management systems,
as recommended by the pilot project report.
MRIP is now discussing the results of this pilot project with our regional
partners and determining next steps. Among those will be the development of a
method for estimating catch by using logbook data in conjunction with dockside
validation data.
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