documenting the participation of fishing vessel crew members in alaska’s commercial fisheries...

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Documenting the Participation Documenting the Participation of Fishing Vessel Crew of Fishing Vessel Crew Members in Alaska’s Members in Alaska’s Commercial Fisheries Commercial Fisheries by Geron Bruce, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries

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Documenting the Participation Documenting the Participation of Fishing Vessel Crew of Fishing Vessel Crew Members in Alaska’s Members in Alaska’s Commercial FisheriesCommercial Fisheries

by Geron Bruce, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries

Purpose of Today’s Purpose of Today’s PresentationPresentation

• To provide an update on the To provide an update on the status of developing a system status of developing a system to document crew member to document crew member fishing participation.fishing participation.

• To describe some of the To describe some of the major considerations that major considerations that must be addressed in must be addressed in deciding how to collect and deciding how to collect and store information on crew store information on crew members’ fishery members’ fishery participation.participation.

Current Status of Crew Current Status of Crew Member ProjectMember Project

• Governor has Governor has requested funding requested funding from the from the legislature for this legislature for this project.project.– $151,000 in the $151,000 in the

operating budget.operating budget.– $150,000 in the $150,000 in the

capital budget. capital budget.

What Will the Increased What Will the Increased Funding Pay For?Funding Pay For?

• Contracting with a private Contracting with a private information technology firm to information technology firm to analyze the various options for analyze the various options for how crew data might be how crew data might be collected and to recommend a collected and to recommend a preferred option.preferred option.

• Contracting with a private IT firm Contracting with a private IT firm to assist ADF&G in the design, to assist ADF&G in the design, development, testing, and development, testing, and deployment of a crew member deployment of a crew member data collection system.data collection system.

• A new ADF&G research analyst. A new ADF&G research analyst. • A new ADF&G analyst A new ADF&G analyst

programmer.programmer.

What Will the Research What Will the Research Analyst Do?Analyst Do?

• Prepare and issue RFPs, lead Prepare and issue RFPs, lead evaluation of bidders and selection of evaluation of bidders and selection of contractors.contractors.

• Administer contracts and be a liaison Administer contracts and be a liaison between contractor and ADF&G.between contractor and ADF&G.

• Organize and staff the public advisory Organize and staff the public advisory committee.committee.

• Once the system is in place, manage Once the system is in place, manage the data, ensure its quality and the data, ensure its quality and completeness, perform selective completeness, perform selective auditing.auditing.

• Administer appropriate confidentiality Administer appropriate confidentiality policies and procedures.policies and procedures.

• Provide analysis and reporting of data.Provide analysis and reporting of data.• Along with analyst/programmer Along with analyst/programmer

provide user support.provide user support.

What will the What will the Analyst/Programmer Do?Analyst/Programmer Do?

• Work closely with the contractors during the Work closely with the contractors during the analysis of options and the development of analysis of options and the development of the preferred system.the preferred system.

• Develop the programming skills and Develop the programming skills and experience with the system developed so it experience with the system developed so it can be maintained after the contractor is can be maintained after the contractor is gone.gone.

• Maintain and modify the system over time as Maintain and modify the system over time as necessary.necessary.

• Work with the research analyst in developing Work with the research analyst in developing the analytical and reporting capabilities of the the analytical and reporting capabilities of the system.system.

• Provide technical support for users.Provide technical support for users.

Benefits from Benefits from Crew Member DataCrew Member Data

• Allow more complete analysis of the Allow more complete analysis of the economic importance of commercial fishing economic importance of commercial fishing to the state economy.to the state economy.

• Enable communities to estimate Enable communities to estimate contributions from commercial fisheries to contributions from commercial fisheries to their local economy.their local economy.

• Evaluate how changes in fisheries Evaluate how changes in fisheries management might effect crew members, management might effect crew members, local communities, and the state economy.local communities, and the state economy.

• Evaluate how changes in non-fishing related Evaluate how changes in non-fishing related economic activities might effect the economic activities might effect the economic benefits of commercial fishing.economic benefits of commercial fishing.

• Enable communities to fulfill federal and Enable communities to fulfill federal and state reporting requirements associated with state reporting requirements associated with the state or federal community assistance the state or federal community assistance programs.programs.

General Issues to be General Issues to be Considered in Determining Considered in Determining

How to Collect Crew How to Collect Crew InformationInformation

• Data collection and maintenance is Data collection and maintenance is expensive; system needs to be expensive; system needs to be efficient and no more complex than efficient and no more complex than necessary to do the job.necessary to do the job.

• Data collection has to be scaled Data collection has to be scaled appropriately for the variety of appropriately for the variety of fisheries and circumstances within fisheries and circumstances within Alaska.Alaska.

• Current data collection systems are Current data collection systems are self-reporting.self-reporting.

• Individual harvest information is Individual harvest information is subject to confidentiality provisions.subject to confidentiality provisions.

• Should crew member data be Should crew member data be collected for fisheries occurring collected for fisheries occurring completely in federal waters?completely in federal waters?

Issues Associated with a Issues Associated with a Crew Member Fishery Crew Member Fishery

Participation Data Participation Data Collection SystemCollection System

• Who records crew participation?Who records crew participation?• When is participation documented?When is participation documented?• What is the mechanism for reporting?What is the mechanism for reporting?• How is compliance with reporting How is compliance with reporting

requirements measured and requirements measured and ensured?ensured?

• What features or attributes are going What features or attributes are going to ensure the support of individuals to ensure the support of individuals reporting and auditing the system?reporting and auditing the system?

• Does it have the ability to link crew Does it have the ability to link crew member fishing data with other member fishing data with other databases such as landing reports?databases such as landing reports?

• Is there an audit and appeal process?Is there an audit and appeal process?

Options for When Options for When Participation Might Be Participation Might Be

DocumentedDocumented

• At time of landing.At time of landing.

• Throughout the duration of Throughout the duration of fishing via a log book or fishing via a log book or reporting form which is reporting form which is submitted at the end of the submitted at the end of the year.year.

• On some periodic basis during On some periodic basis during the fishing year: weekly, the fishing year: weekly, monthly, quarterly.monthly, quarterly.

• Annually post season such as Annually post season such as the Commercial Operators the Commercial Operators Annual Report.Annual Report.

Who records Who records crew participation?crew participation?

• Processor/Tender OperatorProcessor/Tender Operator

• Permit Holder/Vessel OwnerPermit Holder/Vessel Owner

• Crew MemberCrew Member

What is the Mechanism What is the Mechanism for Reporting?for Reporting?

• Point and time of landing: Point and time of landing: paper fish ticket/ paper fish ticket/ electronic landing report.electronic landing report.

• Electronic crew member Electronic crew member reporting system that reporting system that links to other electronic links to other electronic databases.databases.

• Log book.Log book.• Submission of annual Submission of annual

post season report post season report documenting crew documenting crew activities.activities.

How is Compliance How is Compliance Measured and Ensured?Measured and Ensured?

• Clear definition of the class of Clear definition of the class of individuals responsible for reporting individuals responsible for reporting crew participation.crew participation.

• Ability to identify members of the Ability to identify members of the class who actively participate in class who actively participate in fisheries in a given year.fisheries in a given year.

• Identify individuals who were active Identify individuals who were active but did not report crew participation.but did not report crew participation.

• Follow-up with individuals who Follow-up with individuals who appear to have failed to report.appear to have failed to report.

• Allow crew members to establish a Allow crew members to establish a user account and verify the accurate user account and verify the accurate reporting of their crew participation.reporting of their crew participation.

Gaining the Support of Gaining the Support of Those Required to ReportThose Required to Report

• Easy to understand Easy to understand reporting procedures.reporting procedures.

• Simple reporting Simple reporting procedures.procedures.

• Adequate user support Adequate user support available.available.

• Agreement among those Agreement among those required to report that required to report that there are clear benefits there are clear benefits from reporting.from reporting.

Linking Crew Member Data Linking Crew Member Data with Data from Other with Data from Other

SourcesSources

All databases—crew All databases—crew member licensing, vessel member licensing, vessel and permit licensing, and permit licensing, landing databases, and landing databases, and Commercial Operator Commercial Operator Annual Report database, Annual Report database, and crew member and crew member fishery participation fishery participation databases—must be able databases—must be able to share data.to share data.

An Audit and Appeal An Audit and Appeal ProcessProcess

• Create a way for individual Create a way for individual crew members to review crew members to review their fishery participation their fishery participation data and file an appeal, data and file an appeal, with appropriate with appropriate documentation.documentation.

• ADF&G would review the ADF&G would review the appeal and modify the appeal and modify the individual’s crew individual’s crew participation data if participation data if warranted.warranted.

Probable Options for Probable Options for Further ConsiderationFurther Consideration

• Capture information on crew Capture information on crew members in a separate members in a separate database that can merge database that can merge with data in other databases: with data in other databases: licensing, fish tickets, licensing, fish tickets, eLanding, vessel and permit eLanding, vessel and permit licensing, Commercial licensing, Commercial Operator Annual Reports.Operator Annual Reports.

• Capture information on crew Capture information on crew members at the time of members at the time of landing by modifying the fish landing by modifying the fish ticket system and eLanding ticket system and eLanding reporting systems.reporting systems.

What’s Next?What’s Next?

• Secure additional funding and hire Secure additional funding and hire staff.staff.

• Get a formal opinion from the Alaska Get a formal opinion from the Alaska attorney general’s office on the attorney general’s office on the confidentiality issues.confidentiality issues.

• Organize a steering committee of Organize a steering committee of agency staff and public stakeholders agency staff and public stakeholders to formalize involvement in the to formalize involvement in the development process.development process.

• Bring other stakeholders into the Bring other stakeholders into the process, particularly license vendors, process, particularly license vendors, processors, permit holders, vessel processors, permit holders, vessel owners, and crew members.owners, and crew members.

• Develop requests for proposals for Develop requests for proposals for identifying the best approach to identifying the best approach to collecting crew data and designing and collecting crew data and designing and developing a system to do that.developing a system to do that.