The Ministry for Primary Industries is about to implement the Integrated Electronic Monitoring and Reporting System (IEMRS) across the commercial fishing industry, and this will mean changes to how you must submit your Catch Effort data to FishServe.

From October the 1st 2017, you will need to transition to the following new requirements:

• Catch Effort Data will have to be submitted electronically. After the transitional period, data submitted via paper will no longer be permitted
• All vessels will also require an on-board Geospatial Position Reporting (GPR) device to report the location of your vessel to MPI

Who will this affect and what do they need to do?

Fishing permit holders will need to:

• Purchase an electronic logbook to record and submit all their catch effort data, electronically
• Ensure skippers on all vessels are able to capture and submit catch effort data directly from their vessels, to FishServe
• Install a GPR device on board all of their vessels to transmit their location to MPI

Furthermore, from the 1st of October 2018, all vessels will require camera(s) on board to capture imagery for MPI for observing and compliance purposes. This requirement will be phased in over 2 years.

Key dates to remember:

• 1st October 2017 - Electronic Reporting and GPR regulations come into force, and transitionary measures begin to support adoption. At the end of the transition period, paper forms will no longer be permitted
• 1st October 2018 - Cameras required on all vessels, phased in over 2 years

Attention Cedric users!

If you currently use Cedric, we are working on updating Cedric so it meets these new requirements, we will keep you informed of our progress.

Important to note: MPI is currently finalising the regulations for the IEMRS system, and much more information will be available from mid-July. No action is currently required, and MPI suggests you shouldn't purchase any new technology yet. We will communicate exactly what you need to do as soon as possible.

FishServe support: FishServe is currently working alongside technology providers of both electronic reporting tools and GPR devices to ensure they will meet the new regulations. We will keep you updated on this, in our upcoming newsletters. Any questions, please just contact our friendly team on (04) 460 9555 and they will be happy to help.

For more information, and to subscribe to the MPI newsletter about IEMRS and the Future of our Fisheries programme, go to: www.mpi.govt.nz/futureofourfisheries