The three resource management agencies tasked with commercial fisheries management in Alaska are the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC), and the National Marine Fisheries Service – Alaska Region (NMFS-AK). Since 2001, these agencies have been working to develop consolidated landing, production, and IFQ reporting from a sole source. This collaborative effort, the Interagency Electronic Reporting System, was developed with funding provided through the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The web-based reporting component of this system is eLandings. An additional application was developed, designed to be installed on local computers for the at-sea, catcher processor fleet. This type of application is frequently referred to as a ‘desktop’ application. This Users Guide will focus exclusively on instructions for the use of the eLandings web application.
The Electronic Reporting Interagency Steering Committee identified early on that web-based electronic reporting would be the preferred platform to meet the goal of real-time data availability for managers to monitoring commercial catch, and for real-time quota share management.
The web-based application provides industry with the ability to submit landing reports (fish tickets), IFQ fisher/processor quota harvest, and processor production information from a single location. The information submitted via the web application, eLandings, is stored in a single repository database. The ADF&G, the IPHC, and the NMFS-AK copy data submitted by industry to their individual data systems.
DATA FLOW MODEL
This new commercial harvest reporting provides several benefits for fisheries management agencies and industry when compared to current recordkeeping and reporting. The most obvious benefit is a sole source reporting site for landing and production data. Fisheries managers, individual processing facilities, and the parent company will have the ability to obtain landing report catch and production information immediately. Additional benefits include:
Significant reduction of redundant reporting to management agencies.
Immediate data validation when the landing, IFQ, or production report is submitted.
Real time harvest data availability to management agencies.
Staged reporting to accommodate the work flow of industry.
Application function to allow processors to import or export the catch and production information they submit, facilitating one time data entry for processors.
The internet platform for eLandings provides many features that will make the accurate recording of required landing and production easier. Processors and buyers that use eLandings for recordkeeping and reporting will have immediate access to the electronic version of the report - for review, modification, and re-submission. The most important eLandings application feature is the ability to record and submit a report of all harvest off-loaded to your facility from the vessel, irrespective of the number of permit holders. In other words, in the past, an off-load with several stacked permits would generate multiple fish ticket reports. This situation usually occurs with IFQ fisheries. Using eLandings, you will be able to document the full off-load as a landing report. eLandings generates the appropriate fish tickets for the situation. The fish ticket(s) generated with eLandings are .PDF files ready for printing, signature, and distribution to the CFEC permit holder and the ADF&G. Each landing report is uniquely numbered.
Throughout this document and within the application, we will refer to the landing report, not the fish ticket, as it more accurately reflects the functioning of the eLandings application. Additional features of note offered with the eLandings application include:
The eLandings application allows users to fulfill off-load recordkeeping requirements for ADF&G fish tickets, NMFS RAM IFQ reporting, IPHC halibut reporting, and NMFS Inseason Management production reporting for groundfish. Other reporting requirements may apply to you and your operation. The eLandings application, when used, fulfills the initial off-load and sale and production of product reporting requirements. All other reporting requirements still apply. Please check with your local office of NMFS, ADF&G and the IPHC Seattle staff to determine additional reporting requirements for your operation.
The eLandings applications allow you to record and save to the repository database off-load information as it becomes available. At the beginning of an off-load, when the skipper or permit holders are available, you will be able to record and save all the information about who fished, on what vessel, where and when. This information is contained, in part, on the ADF&G fish ticket ‘header’ (top portion). Once saved, this portion of a landing report is still incomplete. However, as soon as the ‘header’ information is saved, it is assigned a landing report number and can be recalled. The unsubmitted report can be located and recalled from the Reports Menu page.
When the off-load has been sorted and weighed, the itemized catch can be recorded in eLandings and an initial landing report, including IFQ reporting (if applicable), can be submitted to the Interagency Database.
Landed catch is frequently sorted for grade and size. Pricing information is often not immediately available. When this information is obtained, the landing report can be recalled from the eLandings application. All ‘Unsubmitted’ and ‘Initally Submitted’ landing reports are listed and available from the Reports Meun page, Incomplete Landing Reports. Grading and price information can be added, and the landing report submitted to the agencies as the final landing report.
The eLandings application has been designed to meet the business flow of the processor/buyer, and to meet the recordkeeping requirements of the agencies responsible for oversight.
The eLandings application contains a few new information elements that will need to be provided to successfully submit the landing report. New information elements include:
Number of Crew, including skipper
Number of observers on board (NMFS certified groundfish or ADF&G certified crab observers only)
Management program for the targeted species (e.g., Community Development Quota Program – CDQ, American Fisheries Act Pollock – AFA, State Managed Pacific Cod Fishery – SMPC, Open Access – OA, etc.)
Disposition (Use or disposition of product)
Last Delivery of Trip (final off-load, empty hull)
The new data is minimal, and the effort to record it will be more than offset by the improved efficiency of reporting that eLandings offers.
Fishers often fish multiple CFEC permits on the same trip. IFQ stakeholders frequently join together to fish IFQ from the same vessel. This practice is commonly referred to as stacking permits. Using ADF&G paper fish ticket forms, this practice requires the completion of multiple fish tickets. The eLandings application allows the user to record all permits associated with the landing report simultaneously. The total harvest from the fishing trip can also be allocated by percentage using the CFEC Permit Worksheet.
In the example below, three halibut IFQ quota share fishers joined together to fish. The vessel owner sells 60% of the catch and the two IFQ share holder ‘crew’ sell 40% of the catch.
An example of a CFEC permit worksheet with multiple permits.
When the landing report is ready to be submitted, the itemized catch is allocated among the permits according to reflect the percentages entered. Likewise, the IFQ reports to NMFS are generated from the IFQ permits input and the itemized catch data.
When the landing report is submitted, the eLandings application generates three fish ticket .PDF files. When the IFQ reports have been successfully submitted, the system generates a .PDF file of all the IFQ report receipts. IFQ reporting of stacked permits is streamlined, as all CFEC permits and IFQ permits can be recorded on one landing report.
Most fishery codes are available on line, including gear, species, statistical area codes with translations from the ADF&G statistical area to the federal reporting area and IPHC regulatory area, delivery condition code, and disposition code. A codes appear on the web page window in blue text, indicating that the title is linked to an additional window.
Online Reference Table of Species Codes and Names
The reporting sequence requires that the ‘header’ information – who fished, where, when and on what – is saved. When the itemized catch is available the information is recorded and saved, followed by grading, sizing and pricing information and submission of the IFQ report, in applicable. As each portion of the landing report is submitted to the Interagency Database Server, saved, many data elements are validated to make certain the information is correct. All fishery codes are validated to determine that the codes do exist. CFEC permits, NMFS ID’s, and IFQ permits are validated and checked to determine that they are valid for the fishery. Statistical areas, species codes, delivery condition, and disposition codes are validated. Numbers are also checked for sanity. As an example, if you enter $300.00 per pound or three million pounds, the application with request that you review the data element for correctness.
These immediate data validation features are designed to reduce errors for your business records, and for inseason management agencies. If a data element fails validation, the application will indicate the specific element that has failed validation and will provide you with important clues to correct the entry and successfully submit the landing report.
The eLandings application is designed to provide you with important information on any data element that has failed validation or sanity checks. An example of a sanity check is the sequence between the data elements, Date Fishing Began and Date Landed. If you enter a Date Landed that is prior to the Date Fishing Began, these data elements will fail validation. The application will message back that the Date Landed is a date prior to Date Fishing Began:
If you are entering data into a worksheet, the error messages will tell you where in the worksheet the problem is occurring. For example, this error message indicates that the Stat Area on the first line item is not a valid number.
Sometimes you can get multiple errors at once. These error messages indicate that both the Gear Code and the stat area are not valid.
Additional information is available, for corrective action, by clicking on the blue text, ERROR - #. This opens a detailed error message window. The example below is the message detail with specific information for error 1043.
All data elements must be correctly entered in the eLandings application for successful submission of a landing report. In a very few cases, critical data elements may fail validation, restricting the completion of the landing report. Specific fields will allow the user to enter an interim value and continue the reporting process. The interim value must be replaced within 72 hours with the valid ADF&G vessel number or the CFEC permit valid for the fishery and the year. These values are provided to aid processors when an otherwise valid CFEC permit or vessel permit number fails validation.. During this time period, the user can contact the local office of ADF&G or NMFS to obtain assistance or to the correct information submitted. Interim values include:
|
ADF&G VESSEL NUMBER |
99998 |
|
CFEC PERMIT FISHERY |
9998 |
|
CFEC PERMIT NUMBER |
00098A |
|
CFEC PERMIT SEQUENCE NUMBER |
0000W |
|
MANAGEMENT PROGRAM |
OA |
If you have received a landings of fish that needs to be sorted prior to completing the landing report, or held in a tank for a short period of time prior to weighing, please use the general code 120 – General Flatfish for all unsorted flatfish and the Pollock code – 270 for unweighed Pollock. The eLandings application will allow you to select estimated weight in this situation. This feature will allow you to document the landing, make an initial submission of the landing report to the Interagency Server, generate a fish ticket(s), and obtain the signatures from the .PDF fish tickets. When the delivery of fish has been sorted, you can recall the landing report by the unique number and replace the general species code with specific species codes and actual weights. Processors will be provided 72 hours to replace estimated weights and general flatfish species codes with actual species codes and weights.
The eLandings application allows you to record itemized catch of halibut and/or sablefish, and indicate if ice/slime was present at the point it was weighed. Only vessels that qualify for ice/slime deduction may utilize this application function. Two percent is automatically deducted when ice/slime is selected. This feature is located in the Add/Edit Itemized Catch section of the eLandings application, under Lbs. Mod (weight modifier), and functions for halibut and sablefish species only.
The eLandings System allows the user to customize the display of the application to facilitate data entry and documentation of reported catch. After you log onto the eLandings System, the application automatically displays the Report Menu page. Note the link to User Profile.
[Image 39 – User Profile link.]
When you select this link, the application displays information associated with this user account. Below the contact information, is a listing of web display feature options.
[Image 40 – Web Default Options]
You can control the display of data fields to better meet the needs of your reporting requirements and your operation. As an example, you might determine that you need to have three CFEC permit lines consistently displayed and two statistical areas. To establish a display like the one illustrated below, simply select, Number of CFEC Permit Lines = 3 and Number of Stat Area Worksheet lines = 2.
[Image 42 – Set Defaults permits and stats]
The eLandings System also allows the Administrative User to add and restrict rights to additional users within a company or operation, and to set grading/sizing/pricing defaults.
[Image 46]
[Image 45]
Additional information on these features are covered in the User Account section of this document.
The Login page for the eLandings application includes an Announcement Section that will be used to alert users to events, such as scheduled shutdowns of the server for maintenance, making eLandings briefly unavailable. New application features will also be a feature of the Announcements section.
As you begin to use the eLandings application, make a point of noticing the Announcements section for helpful and pertinent information.
[PIC Image 16 - announcement]
The Interagency Electronic Reporting System has established several methods to assist users. We provide on line documentation and this Users Guide. Agency staffs at National Marine Fisheries Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the International Pacific Halibut Commission are available during business hours to assist you in using the eLandings application and to answer fisheries questions.
We developed a Frequently Asked Questions document that addresses the Rationalized Crab Program. This document is available from a link located on the home page of the eLandings application. If you are completing landings reports or IFQ reports for the Rationalized Crab fisheries of the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, we recommend you read this document. Lastly, we maintain a 24 hours a day/seven days a week help desk via email or telephone.
Information and links to these resources are located on the eLandings home page, under the section titled, QUESTIONS?
[PIC Image 17 - questions]
Procedures have been developed and are available from the eLandings application home page. We recommend that you review these procedures as soon as you have established a Users Operation Account. The Interim eLandings Reports will be necessary to temporarily document a landing. This title is a link to a .PDF file. Simply move your cursor over the text, click once and the .PDF file will open. Print at least ten copies as a reserve, in the event the internet is temporarily unavailable.
[PIC – Image 17a disconnected procedures]
The Interagency Electronic Reporting System (IERS) provides users with the ability to export the information recorded in the eLandings application to company operations or accounting systems. Likewise, the IERS accommodates the import of data from company operations or accounting data systems. An XML schema is available to user companies. Contact the IERS staff, requesting the XML schema at eLandings@alaska.gov .
[Image 18 – XML Export]
eLandings is located at http://elandings.alaska.gov/ .
The eLandings web based application was initially implemented with the new Rationalized Crab fisheries of the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea in August, 2005. Processors are required to use this eLandings application to document landing information and to debit crab IFQ or CDQ. Documentation of landing information on ADF&G paper fish ticket forms are not allowed with these fisheries. All rationalized crab, IFQ or CDQ, must be submitted via the eLandings application.