Most of the benefits from enabling e-signatures gained by NMFS and NMFS' end users are qualitative in nature. In large part, the benefits to e-signatures accrue from making it easier for end users to report or file electronically thereby minimizing paper reporting and filing of information. Some of the following benefits apply generally to the use of e-signatures to in the shift from paper to electronic filing and some are specific to using e-signatures to improve the Hawaii Non-Commercial Bottomfish Logbook application.
- Reduced cycle time for submitting logbook data. Because this This is an endangered fishery because some species which have historically been a part of this fishery , timeliness of reporting will help reduce the change of over fishing for certain specieshave been determined to be over-fished stocks. Under the MSRA NMFS is committed to ending overfishing, establishing recovery plans for overfished stocks, and ultimately executing the recovery plans to restore the viability of the overfished stocks. Timly reporting will reduce the chance of over fishing because fisheries managers will have an opportunity to monitor the fishery and intervene if necessary. Timly reporting will also support the more intensive management which is likely to be required under recovery plans.
- An increase in constituent participation and satisfaction. This is a new reporting requirement for day fishers, who are either subsistence or recreational fishers, so using a web interface with e-signatures is intended to make it easy and convenient for users to report their catch at the end of the day.
- Cleaner data and more data analysis opportunities (Unless there are edit checks in the logbooks, not sure that "cleaner data" applies.) Having the logbook data collected electronically should enable NMFS staff to analyze the data using basic office productivity tools like spreadsheet. Having the logbook data collected electronically, with comprehensive edit-checks for valid or reasonable data, and immediate feedback on detection of questionable data, will ensure cleaner data. Immediate electronic capture of cleaner data will provide more data analysis opportunities.
- Increase in employee productivity. Receiving the data electronically obviates the need to key in logbook data to be used for analysis.
- Greater information benefits to the public. (This is somewhat speculative, but is it possible to post better information sooner if there are changes to fishery management practices if the logbook data are more easily aggregated?)Because this is an endangered fishery due to overfished stocks, the fishing public is likely to have a high degree of interest in this data. Electronic data capture will provide potential for near real-time analysis, possibly modeling differing fishing behaviors and showing the fishing public how they could optimize their opportunity to fish by avoiding areas with high bycatch of overfished stocks, etc.