Northeast Fisheries Science Center Reference Document 03-07
Implementation
of Electronic Logbook Reporting
in a Squid
Bottom Trawl Study Fleet during 2002
by Lisa
Hendrickson, David Hiltz, Holly McBride, Barbara North, and Joan
Palmer
National Marine Fisheries Serv., Woods Hole Lab., 166 Water St.,
Woods Hole, MA 02543
Print
publication date April 2003;
web version posted May 1, 2003
Citation: Hendrickson, L.C.; Hiltz, D.A.; McBride, H.M.; North, B.M.; Palmer, J.E. 2003. Implementation of electronic
logbook reporting in a squid bottom trawl study fleet during 2002. Northeast Fish. Sci. Cent. Ref. Doc. 03-07;
30 p.
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Abstract
An electronic logbook reporting system was implemented in a study fleet
of commercial vessels that fished for Northern shortfin squid (Illex
illecebrosus) during June-September 2002. Project objectives included
the design of an electronic logbook reporting system that would fulfill
the existing regulatory requirements for logbook reporting and that would
improve the resolution, quality and timeliness of fishery data for stock
assessments. The data collection process involved at-sea and web-based
components. Catch, effort, depth, water temperature and location data
were collected in real-time by vessel operators, on a tow-by-tow basis,
through the execution of two macros. Data contained in the two macros
were transmitted via e-mail to the Northeast Fisheries Science Center
following each tow and at the end of each day by a satellite service provider.
A Perl script was written to extract data from the e-mails upon their
receipt and to load the data into a relational database. Upon completion
of a trip, vessel operators logged onto secure, personal web sites that
were password-protected and then verified the data entered at sea, assigned
tows to specific trips and entered supplemental data required to meet
existing logbook reporting requirements. The web site included an interactive
mapping program that allowed vessel operators to visualize the spatial
distribution of their data and to query their data to produce hardcopy
logbook reports. The auditing process relied primarily on error correction
by vessel operators during the website data review and entry process,
but error checking was also included at the data entry and database processing
levels. Squid length and weight data were collected by staff from squid
processing plants and subsequently entered into an Oracle database that
included links to the tow and catch databases. The study demonstrated
that electronic logbook reporting offers an efficient, cost-effective
means of collecting accurate, high resolution fisheries and oceanographic
data that is useful to fishermen, stock assessment scientists and fisheries
managers.
INTRODUCTION
The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), in
cooperation with a study fleet of commercial vessels that participate
in the Northern shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus) fishery
conducted an electronic logbook reporting study during June-September
2002. The Illex fishing season generally occurs during June-October
and vessels complete approximately three to four tows per day during
trips ranging from several days to two weeks (NEFSC 1999). Submittal
of hardcopy logbooks, Vessel Trip Reports (VTR), has been a regulatory
requirement of the Illex fishery since January 1, 1997 (MAFMC
1996). Logbooks containing data on catch, effort and fishing location
must be submitted. A trip is defined as the time between leaving port
to fish and returning to port to land the catch. The spatial and temporal
resolution of the VTR data is coarse and consists of a single fishing
location per subtrip. Separate logbook forms must be submitted for each
subtrip, represented by a change in Statistical Reporting Area (Figure
1), gear type, or net mesh size. Fishermen are required to mail their
logbooks, on a monthly basis, to a central location where the data are
entered into a relational database (Oracle) and audited. Data processing
activities and delays in the submittal of logbooks often result in time
lags of several months before these data are available to end users.
NEFSC scientists and a portion of the Illex fleet have been
conducting cooperative research studies since 1999, involving the collection
of tow-based fisheries data on hardcopy logbook forms. Electronic reporting
of fisheries data was the next logical step towards real-time data collection
for possible use in conducting in-season stock assessments of Illex,
which is an annual species.
Project Objectives
Implementation of an electronic logbook system in the Illex fishery
was envisaged to improve the efficiency and consistency of data collection
and processing and enhance data quality and resolution. Hardcopy data
collection is labor-intensive for fishermen and data processing
of hardcopy data is labor-intensive for database managers. As well, interpretation
of handwritten data introduces potential database error.
The project objectives of the study included the
design of an electronic logbook reporting system that would fulfill the
existing regulatory requirements for reporting by harvesters in the Illex fishery
and which would improve the resolution, quality and timeliness of data
available for stock assessments. The electronic logbook reporting system
was developed to meet the following criteria:
- Improve the accuracy and spatial and temporal resolution of VTR
data via the collection of electronic, real-time, tow-based fisheries
data.
- Provide a secure, web-based system to collect additional data necessary
to meet VTR legal reporting requirements and for vessel operators to
enter, edit and confirm their personal logbook data.
- Sea-based and web-based data collection systems must be efficient,
user-friendly and cost-effective for vessel operators.
- Provide vessel operators with additional incentives for utilizing
an electronic logbook system, such as useful reports and visualizations
of their personal fisheries data via secure web sites.
METHODS
The data collection process consisted of sea-based
and web-based components. Error checking occurred during data entry and
data processing. Auditing was primarily based on information provided
by vessel operators during the web site data collection and verification
process. The data flow process is presented in Figure
2.
Real-time Data Collection at Sea
Tow-based fisheries data were collected at sea in
real time. At-sea data collection required a GPS satellite service provider
(SSP), a marine-quality transceiver/antenna, and hardware with an e-mail
capability. A single SSP, which operated in conjunction with proprietary
e-mail messaging units, was utilized because most study fleet vessels
already possessed this capability. Data collection macros designed by
the NEFSC were programmed and uploaded to the vessels by the SSP. Fishermen
entered data into two types of macros, a tow macro and a catch macro. Data
were transmitted in real-time to the SSP and then routed to the NEFSC
via e-mails.
Study participants were provided with written protocols
describing the macro data entry process but received no formal training.
The data entry protocol required execution of a tow macro (Table
1) at the start and end of each tow, designated as winch lock and
winch re-engage, respectively. Execution of the tow macro automatically
generated date, time and location (latitude and longitude) data, as well
as a unique vessel identifier (the e-mail messaging unit number). Limited
data entry was necessary and included: entering a “B” or “E” to designate
begin or end of tow, tow number, depth, water temperatures and a description
of any gear problems. Tows were numbered sequentially throughout a trip.
If for any reason, the tow macro was not executed at the beginning and
end of a tow, Section 2 of the macro allowed for manual entry of the
tow number, date, time and location at the start and end of a tow.
The protocol required execution of a catch macro (Table
2) following the last tow of each day, but prior to midnight, and
data entry included the weight of the kept and discarded fractions
of the catch listed by tow and species code. In the event that the
catch macro was not e-mailed on the date that the catches were obtained,
the macro required manual entry of the catch date for each tow, along
with the other required data fields in the catch macro.
Database Creation
A Perl script was written to: (a) monitor the receipt
of e-mails from the SSP; (b) automatically extract data from the e-mails;
and (c) load the raw data into two Oracle tables (a haul table and a
catch table). The same script was used to archive the e-mails. The haul
table contained two records per tow, designated by “B” and “E”, for begin
and end of tow, respectively. The catch table was comprised of one or
more species records per tow. The raw data in the two Oracle tables were
archived in the form that they were received.
A second set of catch and haul tables was created
from the raw data to serve as “working” tables to be updated using information
entered or confirmed by vessel operators via secure, vessel-specific
web sites. The haul table was created by merging begin and end of tow
records from the raw data tables to create one record per tow. Several
additional data fields were also created and populated. Statistical Areas
were assigned to each tow based on an algorithm that used the vessel
position recorded by the satellite at the start of the tow. Fishing effort
(i.e., the number of hours fished) was computed as the difference between
the time at the end and beginning of each tow.
The
catch and haul tables were updated based on vessel operator input submitted
to the web site. Additional tables were also created to summarize the
haul and catch data in sub trip form. The Oracle database models are
presented in Appendices 1, 2,
and 3.
The electronic logbook database was also linked to
a biological database that contained squid dorsal mantle length and body
weight data collected by staff from squid processing plants. The biological
database was linked to the haul and catch databases via a unique vessel
identifier, tow date and tow number, so that biological sampling locations
could be determined.
Web Site Data Collection and
Testing
Secure, password-protected web pages were established
for each study participant and the web interface program was designed
to be accessible through either Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The web server consisted of a Red Hat Linux operating system, Apache
WebServer, Oracle9i relational database, and MapServe interactive geographical
mapping software. The server was positioned in the DMZ (demilitarized
zone) of the NEFSC firewall and Oracle tables containing raw data from
the catch and tow macros resided inside the firewall on a Sun Solaris
server running Oracle 8i (Figure 3). Perl scripts
using DBI (Data Base Interface, a standard database interface for Perl)
were used to extract data from the e-mails, insert data into raw tables,
merge records, check for errors, and move data across the firewall. Web
pages were programmed using Perl, DBI and CGI (Common Gateway Interface,
an interface between the web server and operating system), and JavaScript. Several
logs and security checks were updated thoughout the data collection process.
The web site was designed to minimize data entry
time through the use of pull-down menus, check boxes and an option that
allowed the user to establish vessel-specific default values for fields
that remain consistent between trips. On-line help buttons and bold-faced
designations of mandatory data entry fields were added to increase user-friendliness.
The web site was designed to lead the user through a logical sequence
of steps to generate tow-based data in a format that resembles the current
Vessel Trip Reports.
Four options were available to the
user from the home page of the Commercial Study Fleet Web Site (Figure
4). The options included: (1) verifying and entering fishery data;
(2) interactive mapping of personal fisheries data; (3) creation of logbook
data summary reports; and (4) creation or modification of default settings
for logbook fields that remain consistent between trips (establishing
vessel default values).
The
entry of vessel default values (Figure 5) was optional,
but because this reduced data entry time it was recommended as the first
step upon entering the web site. Thereafter, the user began the process
of assigning tows to a specific trip, or editing an existing trip, by
selecting the main menu option to “Verify and Enter Fishery Data” (Figure
6). Tows conducted on dates that fell between the entries “Date Sailed” and “Date
Landed1” were listed on a subsequent page, with unpaired begin or end
of tow records listed within a shaded box located at the bottom of the
screen (Figure 7). The user has to edit or delete
unpaired haul records (Figure 8) to advance to web
pages pertaining to the review and editing of the catch data associated
with each tow of the trip (Figure 9). Next, the
user enters gear data, if the vessel default settings page was not previously
used to enter this information automatically, and then designates the
hauls to which the gear data apply (Figure 10).
The user is subsequently prompted to partition the amount, by species,
of the total trip landings sold to each dealer (Figure
11), thereby producing a landings summary (Figure
12). A final product of the web site is a “VTR Summary Page” that
reorganizes the summarized trip data into a format similar to a VTR logbook
form that can be printed (Figures 13, 14, 15).
The vessel operator selects the “confirm” button on this page to finalize
the editing process and to certify that data submitted through the web
site are complete and correct. Selection of the “confirm” button implies
that the data are no longer available for editing.
A second option available from
the main menu of the web site involved interactive mapping and database
querying. This program allowed fishermen to visualize the spatial distribution
of their personal data (i.e. catch per unit of effort), for any range
of tow dates, and to query the database to display information associated
with tows that are selected interactively (Figure 16).
A third main menu option allowed
the user to create summarized data reports. This feature allowed
the choice of three report types (species, trip or cpue) summarized by
date range, month, quarter or year (Figures 17 and 18).
The web site was tested in-house and recommended modifications were
completed prior to website access by the study participants. At the end
of the Illex fishing season, the web site development team met
to obtain participant feedback regarding web site design and use. Subsequent
improvements to the web site were made based on this feedback.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Study fleet participation was lower than expected due to a reduction
in the number of vessels engaged in the 2002 Illex fishery. However,
the project objectives were met and the proposed products were produced,
tested and improved upon based on participant feedback.
Data Collection Costs
The macro transmission cost paid by each vessel operator
was approximately $1.00 per tow (which included 50 cents per e-mail transmittal
and 0.004 cents per character entered in each macro). The greatest portion
of the total cost associated with at-sea data collection, [i.e., the
e-mail messaging unit (approximately $6,000) and satellite connection
fees ($70 per month)], was subsumed in the existing operating costs of
most study fleet participants. At-sea data collection costs borne by
the NEFSC included SSP macro programming fees ($90 per hour) and fees
for macro uploads to the vessels ($65 per macro upload). There was no
data auditing cost.
The study demonstrated that electronic logbook reporting offers an
efficient, cost-effective means of collecting accurate, high resolution
fisheries and oceanographic data useful to fishermen, stock assessment
scientists and fisheries managers. The methods developed in the subject
study were designed for implementation in any fishery but training sessions
in sea-based and web-based data collection methods would be beneficial
to fishermen, in addition to dissemination of written protocols.
Recommendations for Improvements
During 2003, additional testing of the sea-based and web-based data
collection systems is recommended to gain feedback from a larger number
of vessel operators utilizing additional types of fishing gear.
The macros developed for this pilot project could be redesigned for
generic use onboard any vessel that has a satellite service provider
and e-mail capabilities. Many vessels have onboard computers but use
different satellite service providers. A more versatile, cost-effective
means of capturing and transmitting data at sea would consist of macros
that are served on the Internet, from a secure web site, and accessed
via shipboard computers.
In addition, the following recommendations are suggested for improving
future electronic logbook reporting studies:
- The creation of a third macro, a trip macro, would allow tows to
be combined into trips prior to web site auditing. The trip
macro could be e-mailed when the vessel is heading into port, or thereafter,
and include the following fields: date sailed, time sailed, date landed
and time landed. Manual entry of the trip data is preferred over simply
sending the macro, which could be easily forgotten, to produce a date
and time stamp.
- Data entry at sea could be minimized further by connecting a vessel’s
GPS and gear-mounted sensors to a shipboard computer for real-time
recording of output from theses devices.
- Training of vessel operators regarding use of the website.
The web-based, fisheries data collection program developed herein could
be expanded to include port sample data and dealer purchase data which
could then be linked to the electronic logbook database.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project would not have been possible without the participation
of fishermen from the Illex study fleet who volunteered to test
the data collection program at sea and whose feedback resulted in an
improved product. We are especially grateful to Captain Jimmy Ruhle (F/V Darana
R) for his recommendations as a member of the web site development
team.
REFERENCES
Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council. 1996. Amendment #5 to the
Fishery Management Plan for the Atlantic mackerel, squid, and butterfish
fisheries. 168 p.
Northeast Fisheries Science Center. 1999. Report of the 29th Northeast
Regional Stock Assessment Workshop (29th SAW): Stock Assessment
Review Committee (SARC) Consensus Summary of Assessments. Northeast Fish.
Sci. Cent. Ref. Doc. 99-14; 347 p.
