Federal Permit Program for the Caribbean EEZ

1. Federal Permit Program for the Caribbean EEZ Options and Ideas

2. Benefits to a Permit Program • Insights into fishing effort • Know who is fishing • Know what vessels are being used • Know what gear is being used

3. Benefits to a Permit Program • If you can associate level of effort data with catch/ landing data it can be used to estimate levels of fish abundance.

4. Benefits to a Permit Program • First step toward a limited entry permit program or catch share program • Professionalize the industry • Tool for stock revitalization

5. Benefits to a Permit Program • 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.

6. 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)

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

8. PIMS collects data about people and businesses Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • 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)

9. PIMS collects data about Business Relationships Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • Data about the relationships between entities • Position within a company (e.g. “owner”, “president” ) • Percent ownership • Start and end dates of relationship • Etc.

10. PIMS collects data about Fishing Vessels Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • 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.

11. PIMS collects data about Vessel Relationships Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • 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

12. PIMS collects gear and tag data Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • 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.

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

14. Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • Mechanics: • Permit renewal is usually distributed throughout the year, (permits expire at the end of the month of birth or incorporation).

15. Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • Mechanics: • Transferable permits are uniquely numbered and are the instrument of transfer

16. Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • Mechanics: • Tag orders for traps are routed through NMFS so we know what tags are issued, and how many traps are in use.

17. Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • Mechanics: • System generated letters to applicant to provide reminders, application deficiencies, etc.

18. Federal Permit Programs in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic EEZ • Mechanics: • NMFS charges a fee to cover the administrative cost of processing the permit. • $25 for one request and $10 for each additional request.

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

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

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

22. 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.

23. What could we do in the Caribbean? • 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

24. What could we do in the Caribbean? • Pilot Program: At one Island or area we could Issue endorsements to existing licenses • Perhaps… • 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.

25. What could we do in the Caribbean? • Other Ideas…

26. My Contact Information • Carolyn Sramek • NMFS Southeast Regional Office • Constituent Services Branch • Carolyn.Sramek@noaa.gov • (727) 824-5326