Proposed Rule2025-20491
Electronic Logbook Reporting in Commercial Fisheries of the Gulf of America and Atlantic
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 20, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Two regional fishery management councils have submitted to NMFS for review, and consideration of approval and implementation by NMFS, amendments to four fishery management plans (FMPs) in the Gulf of America (Gulf), South Atlantic, and Atlantic, referenced here as the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) and implemented by NMFS, the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments would require submission of certain commercial fishing logbooks in an electronic format rather than the current paper format. These FMP amendments also propose minor changes to some of the required data fields in the logbooks determined to be necessary to successfully transition from paper to electronic reporting. The purpose of the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments is to increase the accuracy and efficiency of fisheries data that NMFS receives from federally permitted fishermen participating in the applicable commercial fisheries that occur in the Gulf, South Atlantic, and Atlantic.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 222 (Thursday, November 20, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 222 (Thursday, November 20, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 52349-52352]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-20491]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
RIN 0648-BN11
Electronic Logbook Reporting in Commercial Fisheries of the Gulf
of America and Atlantic
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of availability of proposed fishery management
plan amendments; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Two regional fishery management councils have submitted to
NMFS for review, and consideration of approval and implementation by
NMFS, amendments to four fishery management plans (FMPs) in the Gulf of
America (Gulf), South Atlantic, and Atlantic, referenced here as the
Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments. If approved by the Secretary
of Commerce (Secretary) and implemented by NMFS, the Commercial
Electronic Logbook Amendments would require submission of certain
commercial fishing logbooks in an electronic format rather than the
current paper format. These FMP amendments also propose minor changes
to some of the required data fields in the logbooks determined to be
necessary to successfully transition from paper to electronic
reporting. The purpose of the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments
is to increase the accuracy and efficiency of fisheries data that NMFS
receives from federally permitted fishermen participating in the
applicable commercial fisheries that occur in the Gulf, South Atlantic,
and Atlantic.
DATES: Written comments on the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments
must be received no later than January 20, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the Commercial Electronic Logbook
Amendments, identified by NOAA-
[[Page 52350]]
NMFS-2025-0570, by either of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit comments electronically via
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and
type NOAA-NMFS-2025-0570 in the Search box. Click on the ``Comment''
icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
<bullet> Mail: Submit written comments to Karla Gore, NMFS
Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL
33701.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period
will not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> without change. All personal identifying
information, e.g., name, address, etc., confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments--enter N/A in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous.
An electronic copy of the Commercial Electronic Reporting
Amendments is available from <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> or from the
NMFS Southeast Regional Office website at <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/resources-fishing/southeast-electronic-reporting-technologies">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/resources-fishing/southeast-electronic-reporting-technologies</a>. The Commercial Electronic Logbook
Amendments include a Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) analysis,
regulatory impact review, and fishery impact statement.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karla Gore, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, 727-824-5305, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dfb4beadb3bef1b8b0adba9fb1b0bebef1b8b0a9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1dad0c3ddd09fd6dec3d4f1dfded0d09fd6dec7">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS manages a number of fisheries in
Federal waters of the U.S. southeast region. The Coastal Migratory
Pelagic (CMP) fishery includes the Gulf and Atlantic region, and fish
such as king mackerel. The Gulf Fishery Management Council (Gulf
Council), South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (South Atlantic
Council), and NMFS prepared the FMP for the Coastal Migratory Pelagic
Resources of the Gulf and Atlantic Region (CMP FMP). The South Atlantic
Council and NMFS prepared the FMP for Dolphin and Wahoo Fishery of the
Atlantic (Dolphin and Wahoo FMP) and the FMP for the Snapper-Grouper
Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Snapper-Grouper FMP) in the South
Atlantic. The Gulf Council and NMFS prepared the FMP for the Reef Fish
Resources of the Gulf (Reef Fish FMP). The FMPs were approved by the
Secretary and are implemented by NMFS through regulations at 50 CFR
part 622 under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801
et seq.). The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires each regional fishery
management council to submit any FMP or FMP amendment to the Secretary
for review and approval, partial approval, or disapproval. The
Magnuson-Stevens Act also requires that NMFS, upon receiving an FMP or
FMP amendment, publish an announcement in the Federal Register
notifying the public that the FMP or amendment is available for review
and comment. This action is proposed under the authority of section
303(a)(5) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act [16 U.S.C. 1853(a)(5)], which
requires that FMPs specify the data required to be submitted to the
Secretary, and consistent with National Standard 7 of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act [16 U.S.C. 1851(a)(7)], which requires that conservation
and management measures minimize costs and avoid unnecessary
duplication where practicable.
The Magnuson-Stevens Act requires that NMFS and regional fishery
management councils prevent overfishing and continually achieve the
optimum yield from federally managed fish stocks. These mandates are
intended to ensure that fishery resources are managed for the greatest
overall benefit to the Nation, particularly with respect to providing
food production and recreational opportunities, and protecting marine
ecosystems. Congress recognized that the collection of reliable data is
essential to the effective conservation, management, and scientific
understanding of the Nation's fishery resources [16 U.S.C. 1801(a)(7)].
The Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments would amend four
separate FMPs to require the owner or operator of a vessel issued a
commercial permit to submit the required logbook in an electronic
format rather than using the current paper forms. The FMP amendments
include Amendment 35 to the CMP FMP, Amendment 4 to the Dolphin and
Wahoo FMP, Amendment 54 to the Snapper-Grouper FMP, and Amendment 57 to
the Reef Fish FMP. The Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments would
apply to a vessel owner or operator for which NMFS has issued a
commercial permit for: 1. CMP species in the Gulf and Atlantic; 2.
Atlantic dolphinfish (dolphin) and wahoo; 3. South Atlantic snapper-
grouper species; or 4. Gulf reef fish species.
Background
The Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments detail the evolution
of the data collections through the commercial coastal fisheries
logbook program (CFLP) and other commercial reporting requirements. All
of these programs provide essential trip information required to assess
the status of fish stocks and monitor harvest, which are necessary to
comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act. In addition, economic and discard
data are collected to address other provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens
Act and other applicable law, such as the need to provide analyses of
net economic effects and bycatch. The following discussion summarizes
the CFLP and related data collection programs.
The Commercial Logbook Program
NMFS began the CFLP in 1990 for fishermen issued a Federal
commercial permit for the Gulf reef fish fishery. Over time, NMFS has
expanded the CFLP to include commercial harvest in the South Atlantic
snapper-grouper fishery (1992), the CMP fishery in the Gulf and
Atlantic (1998), and the Atlantic dolphin and wahoo fishery (2004).
Fishermen that target shark species under the FMP for highly migratory
species (HMS), which include various tunas, billfishes, and sharks, and
is developed by NMFS' Atlantic HMS Management Division, are also
included in the CFLP. The CFLP collects basic fishing effort and catch
related data, including species and weights of landed fish, fishing
location and depth of water, and the type of gear used to fish.
Since the initial implementation of the CFLP, NMFS has made several
changes to forms and survey design to improve data collection. For
example, the trip expense section of the form has been modified several
times since 2001 and several updates were made to the ``gear type
used'' data field to better clarify how fish were harvested. Also, the
NMFS Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) created a separate no-
fishing form to better distinguish between non-fishing and non-
reporting activity.
Currently every December, NMFS' SEFSC mails the logbook to the
owners of federally permitted vessels with the applicable commercial
permit (permit holders). Each year, NMFS selects 20 percent of permit
holders to complete economic questions in the ``trip expense'' section
of the logbook and 20 percent of permit holders are selected to
[[Page 52351]]
complete a supplemental discard survey. The mailing consists of a
carbon paper logbook of approximately 100 pages containing 3 sections--
instructions, fishing trip reporting forms, and no-fishing report
forms--along with postage paid return envelopes. The owner or operator
of the federally permitted vessel must report the fishing activity of
each trip within 7 days after finishing a trip or after a month without
any fishing activity, and mail the form to SEFSC. This recordkeeping
and reporting requirement has been in place since at least 2004 for the
affected Federal fisheries. NMFS recommends that fishermen keep the
carbon copy of the CFLP form for their personal records.
Other Commercial Reporting Programs
Fishermen affected by Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments may
also possess other Federal commercial fishing permits issued by NMFS
that have additional or different reporting requirements for commercial
fishing trips. Other permits could include those issued by the NMFS
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) and the Atlantic HMS
Management Division. A vessel owner or operator with a Federal permit
may also have reporting requirements when participating in the
individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs in the Gulf or the wreckfish
individual transferrable quota (ITQ) program in the South Atlantic.
Each permit holder is responsible for ensuring compliance with the
permit requirements of all relevant programs.
Gulf Individual Fishing Quota Programs and South Atlantic Wreckfish
Individual Transferable Quota Program
NMFS manages the commercial harvest of 14 Gulf reef fish species
through 2 IFQ programs under the Reef Fish FMP. The IFQ programs use a
dedicated electronic reporting system to track allocation of catch
limits to fishermen and commercial landings in real-time. NMFS manages
wreckfish under the Snapper-Grouper FMP through an ITQ program. The ITQ
program uses paper methods for documentation of share certificates,
allocation coupons, wreckfish vessel logbooks, and wreckfish dealer
logbooks. NMFS is developing a separate proposed rule to establish an
electronic monitoring and tracking system for the ITQ program. These
IFQ and ITQ programs allocate a portion of an annual catch level to
individual fishermen that can be harvested throughout the fishing year.
The IFQ and ITQ reporting systems are not logbook programs and operate
independently of the CFLP. Reporting requirements under the IFQ and ITQ
programs would remain unchanged by the proposed modifications to the
CFLP. Owners and operators of vessels participating in the IFQ and ITQ
programs would continue to report to both the applicable IFQ and ITQ
system, and the CFLP.
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
All commercial vessels with Federal permits issued by NMFS GARFO
for species managed by the Mid-Atlantic or New England Fishery
Management Councils are required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs)
electronically as eVTRs generally within 48 hours of the end of a
commercial fishing trip (50 CFR 648.7). Permit holders that report
logbook information to GARFO must use software approved by that office
to submit an eVTR. Those fishermen operating vessels with commercial
permits issued by both GARFO and the Southeast Regional Office may need
to continue to submit multiple reports per commercial fishing trip to
remain compliant with the reporting requirements of each permit. NMFS
is evaluating options to streamline reporting requirements for various
East Coast and Gulf fisheries to reduce or eliminate reporting
redundancy.
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division
NMFS also uses the CFLP to collect HMS landings and effort related
data from vessel owners primarily with commercial, limited access shark
fishing permits using bottom longline, gillnet, or vertical line
(including bandit) gear. A vessel owner with an HMS fishing permit and
reporting through the CFLP must record the required logbook information
for each day of fishing within 48 hours of completion or before
offloading fish from the vessel, whichever is sooner. The completed
logbook forms must be mailed in the provided postage paid envelopes and
postmarked within 7 days of offloading all HMS. NMFS' HMS Management
Division published a proposed rule in September 2024 that would change
requirements for fishermen with HMS permits reporting through the CFLP
and other methods. The proposed rule would switch to an electronic
reporting method and adjust the timing requirement (89 FR 72796,
September 6, 2024). As stated in the proposed rule, electronic logbook
reporting is a step towards streamlining HMS reporting for commercial,
for-hire, and private recreational fisheries consistent with the one
stop reporting initiative to expand capabilities for the submission of
a single electronic report to satisfy overlapping reporting
requirements of vessels holding permits in multiple regional fisheries.
As of August 2025, the HMS Management Division has not published a
final rule.
Actions Contained in the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments
If approved and implemented by NMFS, the recommendations in the
Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments would change the format of
required reporting in the CFLP from a paper logbook to an electronic
reporting format and make limited changes to what data that fishermen
need to report. The deadline to submit an electronic report after a
fishing trip would not change from current requirements. The selection
process for the ``trip expense'' and discard portions of the logbook
would also remain the same.
The intent of the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments is to
improve the accuracy and efficiency of logbook data collected from
federally permitted commercial fishermen that report to the CFLP.
Moving to an electronic platform is expected to increase convenience
and ease of reporting for commercial fishermen while increasing the
accuracy and timeliness of commercial data for use by fishery managers.
The collected data would be available sooner to fishery managers once
submitted through the electronic platform compared to the same data
collected on the paper forms. Paper logbooks are sometimes difficult to
interpret by analysts, and the analysts often need to contact the
submitter for clarification or correction with several days or weeks
elapsed from when fishing occurred. This need would be reduced if the
logbook were electronically submitted, because logbook validations
could prevent some errors, such as a trip start time being recorded as
after a trip end time occurs. In addition, fishermen would not need to
mail the paper reports, which is less convenient than using the
electronic format. Therefore, NMFS expects the proposed change from
paper to electronic reporting described in the Commercial Electronic
Logbook Amendments to increase data accuracy and decrease the time
delay of when those data are available for use by fishery managers.
The Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments would require that
commercial fishermen submit fishing reports on electronic software
approved by NMFS. A vessel owner or operator would submit a completed
fishing
[[Page 52352]]
report electronically no later than 7 days after the end of each
fishing trip, which is the same timeframe required currently for
submission of fishing reports on paper forms. If no fishing occurred
during a calendar month, an electronic no-fishing report must be
submitted electronically no later than 7 days after the end of that
month. If a vessel owner or operator is aware of a period when fishing
would not occur, a no-fishing report may be submitted anytime in
advance of that period. If fishing subsequently occurs during time
covered by a no-fishing report submitted previously, the vessel owner
or operator would complete and submit the applicable fishing report.
Currently, NMFS shares commercial logbook data with the Atlantic
Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) as part of a partnership
to combine fisheries-dependent information on the Atlantic coast from
both Federal and state partners. Any software application that NMFS
would approve also needs to meet the requirements to be submitted to
the database managed by ACCSP. Because ACCSP combines data from
multiple partners to create a comprehensive and consistent dataset, the
compatibility of these data across systems is crucial. NMFS expects the
continued use of ACCSP's system for partnering on various data
collection systems. NMFS is also working towards a comprehensive
reporting system for Federal fisheries across regions and may include
other partners and data collection systems in the future. The proposed
electronic CFLP would remain consistent with the goals and objectives
for data collection set by the SEFSC and ACCSP.
To integrate the information currently collected by the paper
logbook forms to the existing ACCSP database, slight modifications to
the CFLP data fields would be required. For example, fields such as
trip start time, trip end date, and trip end time would be added to
prevent overlapping trip submissions. The addition of trip type would
be added to so that the logbook software would show the data fields for
that trip type. For example, if a fisherman selects a commercial trip,
required data fields for a commercial trip would be shown. Primary area
fished would be added to be compatible with the ACCSP database. Some
data fields would be removed, including state trip ticket number and
payment of catch. The signature field in the paper form would be
replaced with a perjury statement that the submitter (an owner or
operator) acknowledges and affirms the accurate and truthful data entry
before submission can occur. Other data fields that may be modified
include ``hours/days,'' which would default to hours to be consistent
with the ACCSP database. In addition, the ``sales disposition'' data
field would default to ``sold to dealer'' to be consistent with the
ACCSP database. The retained catch (landings) would require an entry
into the catch disposition category, which would default to ``general:
food.'' Those selected by NMFS to submit information on discards would
be required to declare the disposition of both retained catch and
discards.
The currently available software through ACCSP would be free to
fishermen. NMFS is also testing a downloadable application for a phone
and a computer, which is separate from the ACCSP software. Once
software providers are approved by NMFS' SEFSC, they would be listed on
the NMFS website <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/resources-fishing/southeast-electronic-reporting-technologies">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/resources-fishing/southeast-electronic-reporting-technologies</a>. After NMFS
finalizes the technical specifications and during implementation of the
electronic CFLP, other vendors may create additional software
applications. These vendors may charge a fee for use or provide an
application at no cost. Fishermen would need internet access, such as
via Wi-Fi or cellular service to download an application, and submit
the electronic reports. However, fishermen would be able to input data
in the application regardless if they are connected to the internet. If
NMFS implements a final rule for commercial electronic reporting as
described in this proposed rule, paper logbooks would no longer be
accepted. Further, a vessel owner would continue to be required to
comply with the electronic reporting requirements to renew or transfer
a Federal commercial permit.
Prior to the implementation date of a final rule for the Commercial
Electronic Logbook Amendments, NMFS would contact each permit holder by
mail and email. Outreach sessions would be scheduled prior to the
implementation of the program and NMFS staff would be available to
answer questions on how to get started with electronic reporting. If
permit holders have specific questions related to the software, they
should be directed to the applicable vendor. Vendors are required to
have a help desk to assist with user questions. Prior to the
implementation of the program, outreach materials would be available
from NMFS to provide guidance about how the reporting requirements
affect permit holders and how to use the software.
Proposed Rule for the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments
NMFS has drafted a proposed rule that would implement the
Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments. In accordance with the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, NMFS is evaluating the proposed rule to determine
whether it is consistent with the FMPs, the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and
other applicable law. If that determination is affirmative, NMFS will
publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register for public review and
comment.
Consideration of Public Comments
The Gulf and South Atlantic Councils have submitted the Commercial
Electronic Logbook Amendments for Secretarial review, and consideration
of approval and implementation. Comments on the Commercial Electronic
Logbook Amendments must be received no later than January 20, 2026.
NMFS will consider all comments received during the respective comment
periods, whether specifically directed to the Commercial Electronic
Logbook Amendments or the proposed rule in the decision to approve,
disapprove, or partially approve the Commercial Electronic Logbook
Amendments. Comments received after the comment periods will not be
considered by NMFS in this decision. NMFS will address all comments
received during the respective comment periods for the Commercial
Electronic Logbook Amendments or the associated proposed rule in a
final rule.
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.)
Dated: November 18, 2025.
Kelly Denit,
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-20491 Filed 11-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 20, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.