The National Marine Fisheries Service separated two jobs in its January 19 final rule: gathering bycatch information and assessing what that information says. Standardized reporting methodology means established procedures for collecting, recording and reporting data. Assessment itself lies outside that definition, although councils must consider how the resulting information will be used to assess bycatch. [2017-02592][2017-00405]

A February 8 notice delayed the rule's effective date to March 21. As of this February 11 retrospective slot, the adopted text was therefore awaiting effectiveness, not a newly operative instruction. The notice supplies the timetable, while the January document supplies the mechanism. They are parts of one agency history rather than independent evidence of successful fisheries management. [2017-02592][2017-00405]

The final framework permits different procedures for different fisheries. Examples include observers, electronic monitoring and reporting, and self-reported information. Each fishery management plan must identify its methodology. Implementation must be feasible in cost, technical and operational terms, but difficulty or expense does not remove the requirement to establish one. [2017-02592][2017-00405]

Uncertainty also has a defined place. The methodology must allow uncertainty in the data to be described quantitatively or qualitatively; the council should seek to minimize it, recognizing that different degrees may suit different fisheries. Councils must consult scientific advisers on design issues including sample sizes and reporting frequency. The useful distinction is between a documented collection method and the conclusions later drawn from it: specifying the first does not establish the accuracy of every later estimate. [2017-02592][2017-00405]

Source documents

  1. Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodologyhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2017-02-08/html/2017-02592.htm
  2. Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodologyhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2017-01-19/html/2017-00405.htm