On January 1, 2023, NOAA Fisheries implemented a new reporting requirement for certain vessels in the Pacific Coast Groundfish fishery targeting groundfish with non-trawl gear in federal waters seaward of California, Oregon, and Washington, to complete and submit a non-trawl logbook to NMFS via an electronic application (87 FR 59724; October 3, 2022). NOAA Fisheries specified that for a minimum of 1 year into the new requirement, paper logbooks would be allowed to provide fishermen time to adapt to the electronic application. NOAA Fisheries also specified that it would issue a public notice at least 90 calendar days prior to ending the optional provision to submit a paper logbook.
NOAA Fisheries announces that on January 1, 2024, paper logbook submissions for the Groundfish Federal Non-Trawl Logbook will no longer be allowed. Starting January 1, 2024, logbook submissions may only be made via the Non-Trawl Logbook electronic application, which can be downloaded at this website. The single exception is for vessels landing in Oregon that already fill out Oregon's state-mandated fixed gear logbook. These vessels may continue to fill out Oregon's fixed gear logbook for one additional year in 2024.
As a reminder, the Compliance Guide for the Federal Groundfish Non-Trawl Logbook can be found under the "Non-Trawl" heading on the West Coast Groundfish Compliance Guide website. A user guide for the electronic logbook application is also available on the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission's website.
Questions?
Contact the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission at fedelog@psmfc.org, or Lynn Massey, Fishery Management Specialist, at lynn.massey@noaa.gov or (562) 900-2060.
