Title 50

SECTION 660.13

660.13 Recordkeeping and reporting.

§ 660.13 Recordkeeping and reporting. Link to an amendment published at 86 FR 10867, Feb. 23, 2021.

(a) This subpart recognizes that catch and effort data necessary for implementing the PCGFMP are collected by the States of Washington, Oregon, and California under existing state data collection requirements.

(1) Trawl logbook. In the absence of a state trawl logbook requirement based on the port of landing, the authorized representative of the commercial trawl fishing vessel registered to a limited entry permit with a trawl gear endorsement participating in the Shorebased IFQ Program groundfish trawl fisheries must keep and submit a complete and accurate record of fishing activities in the trawl logbook form. The following requirements apply:

(i) The authorized representative of the vessel must keep the trawl logbook form on board the vessel while engaged in, or returning from, all Shorebased IFQ Program trips using groundfish trawl gear, and must immediately surrender the logbook form upon demand to NMFS or other authorized officers.

(ii) The authorized representative of the vessel must complete the trawl logbook form on all Shorebased IFQ Program trips using groundfish trawl gear, with all available information, except for information not yet ascertainable, prior to entering port. The logbook form must be completed as soon as the information becomes available. The information on the logbook form will include at a minimum: Vessel name, vessel trip start and end dates, crew size, tow start, tow completion, location of tow, average depth of catch, net type, target strategy, and estimated retained pounds by species.

(iii) The authorized representative of the vessel must deliver the NMFS copy of the trawl logbook form by mail or in person to NMFS or its agent. The authorized representative of the vessel must transmit the logbook form on or before the 10th day of each month following the month to which the records pertain.

(iv) The authorized representative of the vessel responsible for submitting the trawl logbook forms must maintain a copy of all submitted logbooks for up to three years after the fishing activity ended.

(2) [Reserved]

(b) Any person who is required to do so by the applicable state law must make and/or file, retain, or make available any and all reports (i.e., logbooks, state landing receipts, etc.) of groundfish harvests and landings containing all data, and in the exact manner, required by the applicable state law.

(c) Any person landing groundfish must retain on board the vessel from which groundfish is landed, and provide to an authorized officer upon request, copies of any and all reports of groundfish landings containing all data, and in the exact manner, required by the applicable state law throughout the cumulative limit period during which a landing occurred and for 15 days thereafter.

(d) Declaration reporting requirements - When the operator of a vessel registers a VMS unit with NMFS OLE, the vessel operator must provide NMFS with a declaration report as specified at paragraph (d)(4)(iv) of this section. The operator of any vessel that has already registered a VMS unit with NMFS OLE but has not yet made a declaration, as specified at paragraph (d)(4)(iv) of this section, must provide NMFS with a declaration report upon request from NMFS OLE.

(1) Declaration reports for vessels registered to limited entry permits. The operator of any vessel registered to a limited entry permit must provide NMFS OLE with a declaration report, as specified at paragraph (d)(4)(iv) of this section, before the vessel leaves port on a trip in which the vessel is used to fish in U.S. ocean waters between 0 and 200 nm offshore of Washington, Oregon, or California.

(i) Limited entry trawl vessels fishing in the Shorebased IFQ Program must provide NMFS OLE with a new declaration report each time a different groundfish trawl gear (bottom or midwater only) is fished. The declaration may be made from sea and must be made to NMFS before a different type (bottom or midwater only) of groundfish trawl gear is fished.

(ii) Limited entry midwater trawl vessels targeting Pacific whiting may change their declarations while at sea between the Pacific whiting shorebased IFQ sector and the mothership sector as specified at paragraph (d)(4)(iv)(A) of this section. The declaration must be made to NMFS before a different sector is fished.

(2) Declaration reports for all vessels using non-groundfish trawl gear. The operator of any vessel that is not registered to a limited entry permit and which uses non-groundfish trawl gear to fish in the EEZ (3-200 nm offshore), must provide NMFS OLE with a declaration report, as specified at paragraph (d)(4)(iv) of this section, before the vessel leaves port to fish in the EEZ.

(3) Declaration reports for open access vessels using non trawl gear (all types of open access gear other than non-groundfish trawl gear). The operator of any vessel that is not registered to a limited entry permit, must provide NMFS with a declaration report, as specified at paragraph (d)(4)(iv) of this section, before the vessel leaves port on a trip in which the vessel is used to take and retain or possess groundfish in the EEZ or land groundfish taken in the EEZ.

(4) Declaration reports. (i) The operator of a vessel specified in paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), and (d)(3) of this section must provide a declaration report to NMFS OLE prior to leaving port on the first trip in which the vessel meets the requirement specified at § 660.14(b) to have a VMS.

(ii) A declaration report will be valid until another declaration report revising the existing gear, monitoring, or fishery, declaration is received by NMFS OLE. The vessel operator must send a new declaration report before leaving port on a trip that meets one of the following criteria:

(A) A gear type that is different from the gear type most recently declared for the vessel will be used, or

(B) A monitoring type that is different from the monitoring type most recently declared for the vessel will be used, or

(iii) During the period of time that a vessel has a valid declaration report on file with NMFS OLE, it cannot fish with a gear and monitoring type other than a gear type and monitoring type declared by the vessel or fish in a fishery other than the fishery most recently declared.

(iv) Declaration reports will include: The vessel name and/or identification number, gear type, and monitoring type where applicable, (as defined in paragraph (d)(5)(iv)(A) of this section). Upon receipt of a declaration report, NMFS will provide a confirmation code or receipt to confirm that a valid declaration report was received for the vessel. Retention of the confirmation code or receipt to verify that a valid declaration report was filed and the declaration requirement was met is the responsibility of the vessel owner or operator. Vessels using nontrawl gear may declare more than one gear type with the exception of vessels participating in the Shorebased IFQ Program (i.e. gear switching), however, vessels using trawl gear may only declare one of the trawl gear types listed in paragraph (d)(5)(iv)(A) of this section on any trip and may not declare nontrawl gear on the same trip in which trawl gear is declared.

(A) One of the following gear types or sectors, and monitoring type where applicable, must be declared:

(1) Limited entry fixed gear, not including shorebased IFQ,

(2) Limited entry groundfish non-trawl, shorebased IFQ, observer,

(3) Limited entry groundfish non-trawl, shorebased IFQ, electronic monitoring,

(4) Limited entry midwater trawl, non-whiting shorebased IFQ,

(5) Limited entry midwater trawl, Pacific whiting shorebased IFQ, observer,

(6) Limited entry midwater trawl, Pacific whiting shorebased IFQ, electronic monitoring,

(7) Limited entry midwater trawl, Pacific whiting catcher/processor sector,

(8) Limited entry midwater trawl, Pacific whiting mothership sector (catcher vessel or mothership), observer,

(9) Limited entry midwater trawl, Pacific whiting mothership sector (catcher vessel), electronic monitoring,

(10) Limited entry bottom trawl, shorebased IFQ, not including demersal trawl,

(11) Limited entry demersal trawl, shorebased IFQ,

(12) Non-groundfish trawl gear for pink shrimp,

(13) Non-groundfish trawl gear for ridgeback prawn,

(14) Non-groundfish trawl gear for California halibut,

(15) Non-groundfish trawl gear for sea cucumber,

(16) Open access longline gear for groundfish,

(17) Open access Pacific halibut longline gear,

(18) Open access groundfish trap or pot gear,

(19) Open access Dungeness crab trap or pot gear,

(20) Open access prawn trap or pot gear,

(21) Open access sheephead trap or pot gear,

(22) Open access line gear for groundfish,

(23) Open access HMS line gear,

(24) Open access salmon troll gear,

(25) Open access California Halibut line gear,

(26) Open access Coastal Pelagic Species net gear,

(27) Other gear,

(28) Tribal trawl, or

(29) Open access California gillnet complex gear.

(30) Gear testing.

(B) [Reserved]

(v) Upon receipt of a declaration report, NMFS will provide a confirmation code or receipt to confirm that a valid declaration report was received for the vessel. Vessel owners or operators are responsible for retaining the confirmation code or receipt to verify that a valid declaration report was filed.

[75 FR 60897, Oct. 1, 2010, as amended at 75 FR 78374, Dec. 15, 2010; 76 FR 74733, Dec. 1, 2011; 81 FR 84425, Nov. 23, 2016; 83 FR 62275, Dec. 3, 2018; 83 FR 66637, Dec. 27, 2018; 84 FR 31158, June 28, 2019; 84 FR 32098, July 5, 2019; 85 FR 35600, June 11, 2020]