Pelagic Dealer Compliance

This data set contains data from dealer purchases of the highly migratory species (sharks, swordfish and tunas, except bluefin tuna) from U.S. vessels fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Seafood dealers along the Atlantic Ocean, in the Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are required to have a Federal permit issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, NOAA Fisheries Service) to purchase swordfish, sharks and tuna. Dealers with one of these three dealer permits must provide dressed weight, price per pound and vessel information for all purchases of these species to the NMFS twice a month. The reporting for purchases of these species is mandatory and failure to report can result in the suspension of the dealer?s Federal permit. This system was formerly known as the Swordfish Dealer Compliance Program.

The primary purpose of this system is provide a means to collect data in a sufficiently timely manner that allows the NMFS to monitor the status of the shark fisheries to determine when the fishing quotas for large coastal sharks, small coastal sharks, and large pelagic sharks is likely to be reached and the respective shark fishery or fisheries closed.