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The most important thing is that people report what they caught. This is more important than getting a permit. There is no funding for surveys or follow-up, compliance is problematic. Assessing compliance is problematic. The agency doesn't want anything to slow down or discourage people from reporting. The method of submitting is optimized for customer convenience. Vessel owners are obligated to report, but each fisher onboard should be permitted and named in the logbook report.
The agency doesn't know how many recreational fishers there are. Participation could be 50 to 5,000 vessels. Requirements are to report within 24 hours of landing, typically vessels land every day, and there is no estimate of how many days they will fish.
Business Drivers
Under the MSA there are statutory requirements to develop total allowable catch and manage the fishery to prevent overfishing. These requirements are further described in National Standard 1 (NS1). This particular fishery is considered a threatened fishery. A number of species may be overfished. The council has determined that this logbook program is the best mechanism for acquiring the information necessary to meet National Standard 1. An e-signature feature has been specified to hold fishers accountable for the information they report.
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