The U.S. federal government is seeking public comments on a plan to change logbook requirements for several commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico – currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government – and South Atlantic from traditional paper copies to an electronic system.
“The intent of the Commercial Electronic Logbook Amendments is to improve the accuracy and efficiency of logbook data collected from federally permitted commercial fishermen who report to the [Coastal Fisheries Logbook Program],” NOAA explained in a listing on the Federal Register. “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.”
Though other U.S. commercial fisheries implemented electronic logbooks years ago, many of the fishers working in the South Atlantic and Gulf are still required to record their activities in paper logbooks after each trip. Those logbooks must then be mailed to the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Miami, Florida, as part of the Coastal Fisheries Logbook Program.
Regulators have advocated for those commercial fisheries to switch to electronic monitoring, as well; in 2023, both the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and the Gulf Council officially recommended the South Atlantic snapper grouper, Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, Atlantic and Gulf coastal migratory pelagic (CMP), and Gulf reef fish fisheries move to electronic logbooks.
“As a fisherman who fishes every day and has to fill out daily logbooks, sometimes twice a day, this is much appreciated,” James Hull, a current member of the SAFMC and the owner of Hull’s Seafood in Ormond Beach, Florida, said. “It takes a long time to fill out paper logbooks and sometimes mistakes are made, but with e-logbooks, reporting will be more accurate, and I can do this daily and more quickly. Overall, I see this as a positive and full speed ahead.”
If NOAA moves forward with the changes as proposed, the agency will contact permitholders and host outreach sessions to educate fishers on the new system.
Written comments on the proposal must be submitted by 20 January 2026.
