Near to real-time information on catch and bycatch of overfished species is required as an element of National Standard 1 (NS1). For the Whiting fishery an e-ticket provides the most effective mechanism for acquiring near real-time catch and bycatch information. Fish ticket record-keeping and reporting regulations require processor and vessel operator signatures for accountability. An e-signature feature is required to make e-ticket reporting (without a corresponding paper document for signatures) feasible. By near real-time we mean an elapsed time of less than 48 hours from the completion of the vessel offload to data analysis in the agencies catch and bycatch monitoring systems.
The shore-based Pacific whiting fishery needs to have a catch reporting system in place that: improves NMFS's ability to effectively monitor the Pacific whiting shoreside fishery catch of Pacific whiting and incidentally caught species, including overfished groundfish species; does not result in a species' optimum yield (OY), harvest guideline, allocations, or bycatch limits being exceeded; provides for timely reporting of Chinook salmon take as specified in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 Biological Opinion for Chinook salmon catch in the Pacific groundfish fishery; and remains consistent with the conservation goals and objectives of the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP).
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