Hawaii Longline Logbook

NMFS manages fishing in waters of the United States and international waters under authority of various statutes and laws, primarily the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Public Law 94-265, as variously amended, most recently by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act (P.L. 109-479)) (MSA) and the High Seas Fishery Management and Conservation Act.

Recent regulations have made changes to the Fishery Management Plan for the Western Pacific Region. In particular, the regulation authorizes the use of optional electronic logbooks. Affected operators of fishing vessels must record their catch daily in a logbook and report logbook entries to NMFS within 72 hours of landing. NOAA promulgated the final rule authorizing the use of electronic logbooks on April 17, 2007. This regulatory action was based, in part, on an analysis included in a Regulatory Amendment published by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Council in November of 2006 that articulated the benefits of electronic logbook reporting.

Contents