Federal Permit Program for the Caribbean EEZ Options and Ideas.

Federal Permit Program for the Caribbean EEZ

Options and Ideas

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Benefits to a Permit Program

Insights into fishing effortKnow who is fishing

Know what vessels are being used

Know what gear is being used

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If you can associate level of effort data with catch/ landing data it can be used to estimate levels of fish abundance.

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First step toward a limited entry permit program or catch share program

Professionalize the industry

Tool for stock revitalization

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Permit programs may include specific geographic fishing zones associated to Allowable Catch Limits (ACLs), which could allow fishery management on an island-by-island level.

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Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ

The NMFS Southeast Regional Office has recently developed a new permit database system we call PIMS (Permit Information Management System)

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NMFS Southeast Regional Office Permit Information Management Program (PIMS) collects detailed information about

People and business

Business Relationships

Vessels

Vessel Relationships

Gear and tags used

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PIMS collects data about people and businesses


Data about all businesses or persons who own or lease the vessel, or are associated with a business that owns or leases the vessel.

•Full name,

•Mailing & physical address,

•Phone number,

•Date of birth or date of company formation,

•Tax Identification Number (TIN)

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Data about the relationships between entities

•Position within a company (e.g. “owner”, “president” )

•Percent ownership

•Start and end dates of relationship

•Etc.

PIMS collects data about Business Relationships

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Data about the permitted vessel

•USCG Documentation Number or USVI/PR registration number

• Vessel characteristics (length, tonnage, horsepower, etc.,)

•Hull ID

•Hailing Port

•Crew size

•Product storage

•Propulsion

•Etc.

PIMS collects data about Fishing Vessels

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Data about the relationships between entities and the vessels they own or lease

•Type of relationship (e.g. “owner”, “lessee”, “operator”, etc)

•Start and end dates of vessel ownership

•Start and end dates of lease agreements

•Lease expiration

PIMS collects data about Vessel Relationships

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Data about the type and quantity of gear used

•Gear types used •Trap dimensions •Quantity of traps •Trap unit numbers •Color of buoys •Color of tags •Etc.

PIMS collects gear

and tag data

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By collecting data of this detail, we are able to track the status and ownership of permits over time.

Detailed data is critical to a moratorium or quota share implementation and may be important for developing future management options.Time

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Mechanics:• Permit renewal is usually distributed throughout the

year, (permits expire at the end of the month of birth or incorporation).

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Mechanics:• Transferable permits are

uniquely numbered and are the instrument of transfer

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Mechanics:• Tag orders for traps are

routed through NMFS so we know what tags are issued, and how many traps are in use.

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Mechanics:• System generated

letters to applicant to provide reminders, application deficiencies, etc.

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Mechanics:• NMFS charges a fee to cover

the administrative cost of processing the permit. $25 for one request and $10

for each additional request.

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The NMFS permit programs in the Southeast have been used successfully

• To determine eligibility for catch share programs

• As the basis for continued catch share program participation

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The NMFS permit programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic have been used successfully

• To initiate limited entry/moratorium permit

programs which have stabilized or reduced

overall fishing effort• To professionalize the industry

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The NMFS permit programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic are comprised of

• Catch Share Programs for the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish and South Atlantic Snapper Grouper and Wreckfish fisheries

• 13 limited entry/moratorium permit programs

• 12 open access permit programs

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What could we do in the Caribbean?

The types of data we should try to collect and the methods we should use for the collection depend in part on what we hope to accomplish with the data.

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Use what NMFS already has Create a Caribbean permit program that utilizing existing SERO permit program

infrastructure and processes

Use what USVI & PR already have Depend on local permit programs to meet data collection and fishery

management objectives within the Caribbean EEZ

Come up with something new

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Pilot Program: At one Island or area we could Issue endorsements to existing licensesPerhaps…The local licensing office could send commercial license data to NMFS on a regular or recurring basis. NMFS could then issues an endorsement in the form of a sticker or stamp to affix to the USVI or PR license.

NMFS could provide the local licensing authority with a stack of stickers or stamps to affix to USVI or PR licenses when they are issued, and the local licensing authority could send NMFS copies of the applications.

NMFS personnel travel to the USVI or PR to issue an endorsement at the time of renewal, provided the renewals are made during a short application period.

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Other Ideas…

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My Contact Information

Carolyn SramekNMFS Southeast Regional Office

Constituent Services Branch

[email protected]

(727) 824-5326

Federal Permit Program for the Caribbean EEZ Options and Ideas.

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