CNMI Commercial Purchases

The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) collects 'Trip Ticket' or purchase invoice data from vendors that buy fish directly from the fishermen. This system is similar to other trip ticket invoice systems, except that compliance is voluntary and invoices are only provided to dealers, hotel, stores, fish mobiles etc. on the island of Saipan. Participation has deteriorated in recent years as the economy has suffered and businesses have failed and struggled to stay in existence. DFW has always run the system and have efforts underway to improve compliance and actually make such commercial vendor reporting mandatory through local legislation, although this has been tried in the past and failed. Data are collected by vendors and may include a fisherman's identity and include number of pieces, weight, and price for some individual species and some species groups. Data exist back to about 1983 and are continuing, although the relative coverage of the fisheries has varied over the time series. These data are considered highly confidential.

Monitoring

1845 Wasp Boulevard, Bldg. #176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818

Data belong to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Data sharing is by cooperative WPacFIN agreement. Other access can only be granted by DFW.

Requires signing a PIFSC non-disclosure statement for fisheries confidential data and approval from the data owner.

QC review prior to data entry, some automated QC during data entry, and further QC after data entry.

NCEI-MD does not accept sensitive data at this time

PIFSC ITS performs scheduled back-ups.

Data are submitted to and entered by the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).