eLandings User Manual
Federal Cook Inlet Salmon FAQ's
- Sara Villafuerte - NOAA Affiliate
- Anthony Naciuk
How do I register for an account to use the eLandings system?
After you have your required State and Federal permits, go to the Internet site https://elandings.alaska.gov/web
Under How to Get Started click on Register and follow the instructions.
To expedite registration, you should know the type of operation you’re running and have the following permits on hand:
ADF&G Processor License Code
Federal Permit Number
Registered Salmon Receiver Number
NMFS can also assist you with this process during regular business hours by emailing eLandings User Support at eLandings@alaska.gov/web.
Can I set up one account in the eLandings registration system, to be used by all my company's staff?
No. Individual users must have their own accounts. An Administrative User for your operation can add additional users with distinct ID’s. For documentation on adding users to your operation, follow this link: https://elandings.atlassian.net/wiki/display/doc/Operations+Administration
I have new staff that need to learn how to use the reporting system, is there a way for me to show them how to making landing reports in the eLandings system?
eLandings has a training instance website http://elandingst.alaska.gov/web so new users can familiarize themselves with the reporting system. You can do everything on the training system that you can do on the real system, except that reports are not officially submitted.
Training scenarios are available here: https://elandings.atlassian.net/wiki/display/doc/eLandings+Training+scenarios
You can contact eLandings staff and request a web-based training demonstration at eLandings@alaska.gov
Where can I find the user's manual for the Interagency Electronic Reporting System (eLandings)?
Documentation can be found here:
https://elandings.atlassian.net/wiki/display/doc/eLandings+User+Documentation
Where can I find the regulations for CIS?
The regulations can be found here:
Where can I find the permit applications for CIS?
The applications can be found here:
Where can I find the Catcher Vessel Daily Logsheets DFL for CIS?
The logsheets can be found here:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2024-04/cook-inlet-salmon-logsheet.pdf
What do I need to record on my Catcher Vessel Daily Logsheets DFL for CIS?
The instructions can be found here:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3//2024-04/cook-inlet-log-instructions.pdf
Where do I send my completed logsheets?
Paper:
Retain original aboard vessel.
Submit a legible copy to the SFPP or RSRP authorized representative that receives the harvest within 2 hours after completion of catch delivery.
Submit, within 30 days of season closure, copies of all logsheets to:
NOAA Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement
Alaska Region Logbook Program
P.O. Box 21767
Juneau, AK 99802-1767
(Telephone: 907-586-7225)
Electronic:
Retain a readable file aboard the vessel Submit a readable file to the SFPP or RSRP representative that receives the harvest within 2 hours of completion of catch delivery.
Submit, within 30 days of season closure, readable files to: enf.dataclerk@noaa.gov
Where can I find the Small Entity Compliance Guide for CIS?
The guide can be found here:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2024-04/cook-inlet-small-entity-compliance-guide.pdf
I will only fish in state waters or receive deliveries of fish caught in state waters. Do I need to comply with the CIS Federal regulations?
No
When is drift gillnet fishing permitted in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area?
The commercial salmon fishing season begins the fishing day on or after either the third Monday in June or June 19, whichever is later.
For the 2024 season, the first fishing day begins on Thursday, June 20.
Fishing is allowed only at the following times, unless closed by NOAA Fisheries.
From the beginning of the fishing season until July 15.
Mondays and Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
From July 16 until July 31.
Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
From August 1 until August 15.
Mondays and Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Commercial salmon fishing will close when a TAC is reached or August 15, whichever is earlier.
Where can I fish during these openings?
All waters of the Cook Inlet EEZ Area.
Can I also fish in State waters after I begin fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area?
No. A drift gillnet vessel cannot fish in both State and Federal waters on the same calendar day.
All salmon caught in Federal waters must be landed before fishing for salmon on State waters.
Similarly, all salmon caught in State waters must be landed before fishing for salmon in Federal waters.
No recreational or subsistence caught salmon are permitted aboard a boat that is commercial fishing for salmon in the Cook Inlet EEZ.
What do I need to go drift gillnet fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area?
Salmon Federal Fisheries Permit (SFFP)
An SFFP authorizes a drift gillnet vessel to fish for salmon in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area.
The vessel owner or operator must obtain the SFFP.
SFFPs are issued on a three year cycle. If you receive a permit in the middle of a permit cycle, it will be valid for less than three years.
If you surrender your SFFP, you cannot obtain another one until the end of the current three year cycle.
Federal Fisheries Permits (FFP) (groundfish retention only)
A drift gillnet fishing vessel retaining groundfish in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area must, in addition to an SFFP, have a valid FFP with a groundfish endorsement.
Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
If a vessel has an SFFP, a vessel must also have an operational, transmitting VMS when fishing in any waters of Cook Inlet (even State waters) with drift gillnet gear aboard and the Cook Inlet EEZ Area is open to commercial salmon fishing.
What are the Recordkeeping and reporting requirements for CIS?
The vessel operator must maintain a salmon drift gillnet vessel daily fishing log. The information that must be recorded in the log and entry timing requirements are described in Table 2 below [§ 679.115(c)(4)].
The vessel operator is legally responsible for complying with all recordkeeping and reporting requirements. Generally, information on harvest, receipts, discards, and transfers must be recorded and reported. [§ 679.115(a)(3)]. For specific reporting requirements, see § 679.115.
Downloadable PDF logsheets and instructions are available at Alaska Recordkeeping and Reporting Logbook Logsheets.
What do I need to record in the logsheets and when?
What gear can I use?
In general, Federal drift gillnet gear regulations are intended to allow use of existing drift gillnet gear used in upper Cook Inlet.
Drift gillnet is the only authorized commercial salmon fishing gear in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area.
Size. The gillnet gear must be no longer than 200 fathoms (365.76 m) in length, 45 meshes deep, and have a mesh size of no greater than six inches (15.24 cm). [§ 679.118(f)]
While in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area, all vessels may deploy up to 200 fathoms of gear regardless of the number of CFEC permits held aboard a vessel. Vessels should be aware of State regulations that may limit the amount of drift gillnet gear they can have onboard while transiting State waters or landing fish in Alaska based on the number of CFEC permits held. For questions about these State requirements, please contact Alaska Wildlife Troopers (information below).
Marking. The gillnet must be marked at both ends with buoys that clearly display the SFFP number. [§ 679.118(f)]
Floating. Under most conditions, the gillnet float line and floats must be floating on the surface during fishing. Fixing the gillnet to the seafloor is prohibited. [§ 679.118(f)]
Each person holding an SFFP and fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area may use only one drift gillnet. [§ 679.117(b)(iv)]
No fixing gear. It is prohibited to fix gear on the seafloor.
No other gear. Other than the above-described gear, no other gear can be onboard the vessel. [§ 679.117(b)(iii)]
Can I throw back or discard salmon I do not want to keep because of damage or other reasons?
No, discarding salmon is prohibited. All salmon deliveries must be recorded in the State of Alaska’s electronic reporting system for commercial fishing landings - eLandings.
Non-salmon species may be discarded after being recorded on the logsheet.
What are the bycatch/incidental catch requirements?
Drift gillnet vessels fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area may retain and sell non-salmon bycatch, known as incidental catch, such as groundfish (e.g., Pacific cod, pollock, flounder, etc.). This final rule allows retention of these species up to a specified Maximum Retainable Amount (MRA).
A drift gillnet fishing vessel retaining groundfish in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area must, in addition to an SFFP, have a valid FFP with a groundfish endorsement.
Table 10 to 50 CFR Part 679 establishes MRA percentages applied to the Cook Inlet EEZ Area. The basis species are salmon, which are classified as “Aggregated amount of nongroundfish species” in table 10 for the purposes of the calculation. To obtain the MRAs for each incidental catch species, multiply the retainable percentage for the incidental catch species from table 10 by the round weight of salmon (Basis Species: Aggregated amount of non-groundfish species) on board.
For example, if there were 100 pounds (45.36 kg) of salmon aboard the vessel, then 20 pounds (9.07 kg) of pollock and 5 pounds (2.27 kg) of aggregated rockfish could be retained, because pollock has a retainable percentage of 20 and aggregated rockfish has a retainable percentage of 5 in table 10 when the basis species is the aggregated amount of non-groundfish species (i.e., salmon).
Drift gillnet vessels fishing in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area may not retain any Pacific halibut.
Is delivering to tenders permitted in the Cook Inlet EEZ?
No, a vessel operating in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area is prohibited from delivering to a tender in any EEZ waters.
A vessel that has harvested salmon in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area may deliver to a tender in State waters.
A full list of prohibited activities is provided at § 679.117(b)(1).
Is processing permitted on a fishing vessel in the Cook Inlet EEZ?
No, processing is prohibited in EEZ waters.
Fishermen may gut, gill, and bleed fish but may not further process their catch, including by freezing, prior to landing.
The Federal definition of “processing” can be found here.
What do I need to do to process salmon harvested in the Cook Inlet EEZ?
Permitting
To purchase and process salmon caught from the Cook Inlet EEZ, a Salmon Federal Processing Permit (SFPP) is required.
An SFPP is required for each facility.
SFPPs are issued on a one year cycle. If you receive a permit in the middle of a permit cycle, it will be valid for less than one year.
Reporting
Who is responsible for ensuring compliance with reporting requirements at a shoreside processing facility?
The owner(s) of the shoreside processing facility.
What are the reporting requirements for shoreside processors?
Processors must report all landings of salmon harvested from the Cook Inlet EEZ Area through eLandings by noon of the day after delivery is complete.
Record products that the facility custom-processed (i.e., processed for a person who is not an owner of the facility). § 679.115(a)(6)
Each landing report must contain the delivery, catch, and discard or disposition information specified in § 679.115(b)(5).
Restrictions
All processing of salmon harvested in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area must occur shoreside or on a floating processor located in State waters.
For a full list of prohibited activities related to processing, see § 679.117(b)(3).
Comply with all applicable State requirements.
Does a shoreside processor that only accepts deliveries from vessels fishing in State waters have to comply with these Federal requirements?
No
What is a registered salmon receiver (RSR)?
An RSR is an entity using a facility, vehicle, or vessel to receive landings of salmon but does not process them and is not affiliated or operated on behalf of a processor with an SFFP.
Examples include catcher-sellers and transporters of unprocessed salmon from fishing boats to restaurants and retail stores.
What must I do to act as an RSR of salmon harvested in the Cook Inlet EEZ?
Permitting.
An RSR must obtain a Registered Salmon Received Permit (RSRP), which under certain conditions set out in the permit, authorizes the receipt of a delivery of salmon harvested in the Cook Inlet EEZ for purposes other than processing or transporting elsewhere for processing.
An RSRP is only required for an operation if they are not affiliated with or operating on behalf of a processor holding an SFPP.
An entity that is operating on behalf of a specific processor does not need an RSRP and would be covered under that processor’s SFPP.
An entity that receives salmon harvested in the Cook Inlet EEZ Area for transport to an unspecified processor does need an RSRP.
An RSRP expires and must be renewed after one year.
Reporting.
Using eLandings, an RSR must submit a daily landing report that contains the delivery, catch, and discard or disposition information specified in § 679.115(b)(5).
Comply with all applicable State requirements.
As a RSR (Registered Salmon Receiver) I chose the wrong Processor code. How do I resubmit my Landing Report?
A Registered Salmon Receiver (RSR) which entered the wrong Processor Code must resubmit the Landing Report. To resolve the issue, please contact eLandings Support at elandings@alaska.gov.
I sometimes operate a truck to receive deliveries of salmon from the Cook Inlet EEZ Area, and sometimes I use a vessel or my dockside facility. Do I need an RSRP for each operation?
No, a single RSRP may be used for all of your company’s operations.
If I am short shackling (not pulling all my net at the same time) do I have to make a separate logbook entry each time I retrieve my net?
As long as you have gear actively fishing it is part of the same set and you only log when the first cork hits the water and when you fully retrieve the last cork.
I have already submitted my landing report in eLandings but I need to make a correction. What do I do?
You can locate the landing report from the landing report page. Then edit the report and make any necessary corrections. Next you will submit the report. Please be sure to submit your edited fish ticket to ADF&G.
Download PDF Link:
How to Download and Print this Article as a PDF
Download:
Click the 3 dots (...) at the top right of the article
Click Export
Click Export to PDF
Wait for the PDF to load, and click Download PDF
Print:
Open the PDF
Print the PDF
Support Contact:
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact elandings@alaska.gov