As part of a conversion to online permitting and electronic vessel trip reporting (eVTR) NOAA Fisheries and its Greater Atlantic Regional Field Office (GARFO) is changing vessel owner and operator login at Fish Online (www.greateratlantic.fisheries.noaa.gov/apps/login) as of June 1.
To access Fish Online, instead of entering your permit number and PIN combination, you must now login using your personal Fish Online user account. NOAA Fisheries made this change to increase account security and to enable vessel owners to give access, or “entitlements,” to their vessel records to other trusted people while managing multiple vessels in one account. The agency first began implementing this process in 2020.
For those looking to apply for the Private Recreational Tilefish permit or any of the NOAA Fisheries vessel permits for the first time, you will need to create a Fish Online account by clicking Create Account at the link listed above. Once you have an account, you may log in to see the list of initial permit applications, which includes the Private Recreational Tilefish application. For assistance with creating an account, contact the NOAA Fisheries IT Service Desk at 978-281-9188.
For previous permit holders, NOAA Fisheries said it has mailed instructions to vessel owners in advance of the permit renewal season, with instructions on updating their accounts annual. Vessel owners are required to use their user accounts to use services such as permit renewals and electronic reporting, review landings data submitted by operators and dealers, provide account access to other trusted people, while also managing multiple vessels in one account.
Vessel operators also need a Fish Online account to use any of the GARFO’s eVTR applications and to view their previously submitted eVTRs. “Starting last month, we began sending notices to vessel operators and will continue this process throughout the summer,” NOAA Fisheries said in a press release, adding “Once vessel operators receive a letter in the mail, if they have not already, they should create their user accounts as soon as possible by going to the How to Create an Account in Fish Online instructions located on our Vessel Trip Reporting web page.”
For questions regarding the creation of a validated Fish Online account and the Credential Security Code (CSC), contact the Vessel Reporting Help Desk at 978-281-9188 from the phone number listed on your vessel permit. This is needed to verify your identity.
For more information on GARFO visit www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/new-england-mid-atlantic.
