The Department of Fish and Game announced on Thursday, Jan. 2, that saltwater charters in Alaska will now be required to report their activity using an ADF&G e-logbook service.
A department press release cited the implementation of mandatory electronic logbook (eLogbook) reporting for the charter sector in Southeast Alaska, saying the practice “has proven beneficial to both industry and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G).”
ADF&G says that recent restrictions on saltwater species throughout the state have highlighted the need for more accurate and timely reporting in all regions. The department said that through the cooperation of the charter industry in Southeast Alaska and voluntary e-Logbook users in the remainder of the state, “the e-Logbook has proven to be a more efficient, timely, and effective data collection mechanism.”
Some of the areas of improved data collection include:
- eLogbook data are submitted faster, more easily, and more accurately than on paper.
- Data verification (ADF&G sending emails to you specific to data errors) is dramatically reduced for eLogbook data.
- In the Southeast, where logbooks are mandatory, charter data are available to fisheries managers in a substantially shorter timeframe.
Considering the success in Southeast and to promote timely and responsive fisheries management for marine species in all saltwater areas, ADF&G has extended the 2021 Southeast Alaska eLogbook mandate to include all saltwater charter operators statewide.
Beginning in 2025, all saltwater charter operators will be required to report their charter activity using the ADF&G eLogbook.
For further details on the eLogbook or to access your eLogbook links, please visit our website, email Ben Jevons, or call 907-267-2299.