The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a public webinar on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., to provide information on options available to commercial fishing operators for electronically submitting required Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) in the Greater Atlantic Region. This is in support of the Council’s joint action with the New England Fishery Management Council that could require electronic reporting of VTRs by operators holding commercial fishing permits for species managed by either council that require the submission of VTRs.
Webinar Information
The meeting will be held via webinar (http://mafmc.adobeconnect.com/evtr_publicmtg/) with a telephone audio connection (provided when connecting). Audio-only access is available at phone number: 1-800-832-0736, Room Number: 5765379.
Background
The Council is considering requiring electronic reporting of commercial fishery Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs) in a joint action with the New England Fishery Management Council. This action would change the method of transmitting VTRs—the required data elements would not change. Existing regulations requiring that VTRs be completed before arriving at the dock would not change, but the timeline for submitting electronic reports may change. This meeting will provide a review of approved electronic VTR applications, initial steps that would be necessary for commercial operators to begin reporting electronically, and a demonstration of two of the most popular electronic reporting applications (with limited time for questions) to convey information on the process involved for commercial operators to report VTRs electronically.