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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 in the shift from paper to electronic filing and some are specific to using e-signatures to improve the Hawaii Longline Logbook application. |
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- Reduced cycle time for submitting logbook data. This is an endangered fishery because some species which have historically been a part of this fishery have 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. Many commercial fishers already use technology to track their catch as a means to increase their productivity. This electronic reporting alternative may allow those fishers to leverage their investment in electronic catch logging to also address their record keeping and reporting obligations. The potential also exists for independent software vendors to provide integration with navigation devices allowing direct recording of fishing locations which would reduce data entry workload and improve data accuracy.
- Cleaner data and more data analysis opportunities. 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. Cleaner data, available more rapidly, 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. 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 in-season 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.
- Reduced reporting burden on the public. Compared to traditional manual logbook reporting, the electronic reporting process should be more convenient and take less time.
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* _Reduced cycle time for submitting logbook data_. This is an endangered fishery because some species which have historically been a part of this fishery have been determined to be over-fished stocks. Under the [MSRA|http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/msa2007/index.html] 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._ Many commercial fishers already use technology to track their catch as a means to increase their productivity. This electronic reporting alternative may allow those fishers to leverage their investment in electronic catch logging to also address their record keeping and reporting obligations. The potential also exists for independent software vendors to provide integration with navigation devices allowing direct recording of fishing locations which would reduce data entry workload and improve data accuracy.
* _Cleaner data and more data analysis opportunities_. 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. Cleaner data, available more rapidly, 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._ 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 in-season 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.
* _Reduced reporting burden on the public_. Compared to traditional manual logbook reporting, the electronic reporting process should be more convenient and take less time.
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*Increase in Employee Productivity*
Using e-signatures to enable electronic reporting of logbook data should also help to increase employee productivity. Since this is a new reporting requirement for non-commercial fishers, an electronic logbook application should, at the very least, minimize the impact of gathering and analyzing these new data. {color:#ff0000}(There is an open issue in my mind about whether there are edit checks in the electronic logbook application or e-signature feature that will increase assurance in identity or reduce the changes of misreporting or data errors). It seems clearer that there are savings from not having to have NMFS personnel at the dock to collect the logs.{color}
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*Information Benefits to the Public*
{color:#ff0000}(I deleted the entry on data quality for now.{color} {color:#ff0000}Not sure that information benefits to this application apply like they do for NPS){color}\\
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*Reduced Reporting Burden*
Based on estimates provided the upcoming Hawaii longline logbook, this analysis assumes a less burden for electronic logbook reporting than on paper. {color:#ff0000}Estimates for burden reduction from the Longline log book state electronic versus paper logbooks will take one third less time. Will restate benefits from regulatory amendment, which are quite well thought out and documented in several tables.{color}
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*Reduced Cycle time for logbook reporting between NMFS and End Users*
One substantial benefit that is gained by switching to an electronic process for logbook reporting is a reduction in time getting the logbook data in a form for further processing and analysis. The most noticeable speed increase is seen in the time it takes to transmit the logbook data to NMFS regional office for processing. There is the additional time it takes to convert the data to electronic form from the paper logbooks. {color:#ff0000}The regulatory amendment did not quantify the decrease in cycle time for electronic submissions.{color} !Picture2.jpg! |