What is the Dealer Electronic Reporting Requirements Amendment?
- The amendment modifies the current permitting and reporting requirements for seafood dealers who first receive federally managed species in the South Atlantic region and Gulf of Mexico for species in eight fishery management plans.
Purchase of Which Species Would Be Affected?
- The Dealer Electronic Reporting Requirements Amendment would affect species in the following eight fishery management plans:
- Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico
- Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources
- Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico
- *Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region
- Golden Crab Fishery of the South Atlantic Region
- Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic
- Spiny Lobster of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic
- Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery of the Atlantic States
*South Atlantic rock shrimp only
What are the Changes to the Reporting Requirements?
- Currently, there are federal dealer permits in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Region based upon species purchased. The rule will consolidate these permits into a single dealer permit for the two regions and include new species in three fishery management plans.
- Purchase forms are to be submitted online, once per week, or at intervals shorter than a week if notified otherwise. The electronic reports are due by 11:59 p.m., local time, the Tuesday following a reporting week. A reporting week is defined as beginning at 12:01 a.m., local time, on Sunday and ending at 11:59 p.m., local time, the following Saturday. An exception for dealers reporting purchases of king mackerel landed by the gillnet sector for the Gulf of Mexico southern Florida west coast sub zone is described below.
- The Dealer Electronic Reporting Requirements Plan Amendment also requires dealers to report purchases of king mackerel landed by the gillnet sector for the Gulf West Coast Florida Southern Sub-Zone by 6:00 a.m. daily.
- If no purchase is made, a no-purchase report must be submitted via the same process and frequency as a purchase form.
- Delinquent reports automatically result in the dealer becoming ineligible to receive the specified federally managed species regardless of any notification by NOAA Fisheries. A dealer would only be authorized to receive the specified federally managed species if the dealer’s previous reports have been submitted and received by NOAA Fisheries.
Why is the Dealer Electronic Reporting Amendment Necessary?
- One of the purposes of this action is to allow better monitoring of commercial annual catch limits. Currently, overages have the potential to result in significant disruption in fishing behavior the following fishing year if the overage is subtracted from the allowable catch. This can reduce revenue for fishermen and seafood dealers. Overages may also decrease the ability of fish populations to rebuild.
- The increased frequency of dealer reporting will help improve population assessments and monitoring of the harvest, because it will provide a more accurate record of commercial landings.
What if I Don’t Submit Fishing Records On Time?
- Federally permitted dealers who are delinquent in submitting their reports are prohibited from continuing to purchase products managed in the eight fishery management plans listed above until they have submitted all required reports.
Where Can I Find More Information About the Amendment?
- The Dealer Electronic Reporting Requirements Amendment is available on line at: NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office Web site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/gulf_sa/generic/2013/dealer_reporting/index.html , or the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Web site.
- Any questions regarding reporting requirements should be directed to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center at (305) 361-4581 or sefsc.logbook@noaa.gov.
