Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Dealer and Vessel Reporting Requirements

Résumé

NMFS proposes to amend the existing reporting requirements for dealers and vessels issued a Federal permit to operate in the summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, Atlantic sea scallop, Northeast (NE) multispecies, monkfish, Atlantic mackerel, squid and butterfish, surf clam or ocean quahog fisheries. The provisions of this proposed rule would also be applicable to dealers and vessels federally permitted in the spiny dogfish and Atlantic bluefish fisheries when regulations implementing the Spiny Dogfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Amendment 1 to the Atlantic Bluefish FMP go into effect. This action would improve the collection of fisheries-dependent data by modifying or clarifying several dealer and vessel reporting requirements. Proposed changes to the regulations include increasing the record retention requirement for dealer and vessel records to 3 years; requiring federally permitted dealers to complete all sections of the Annual Processed Products Report; clarifying that a vessel logbook report needs to be submitted for each trip taken, not for each day of a trip; amplifying the existing requirement that vessel logbook reports must be completed prior to entering port with