January 04, 2007
Thursday PM

The eLandings system, Alaska's new electronic commercial fisheries catch reporting system, hit the 15,000 mark at the close of 2006. After 16 months of operation, the revolutionary reporting system is proving to be very successful. It replaces the old carbon copy receipt system, eliminates reporting duplication, and increases efficiency for harvesters, processors, and managers.

The eLandings system allows seafood processors and buyers to record landing information, individual fishery quota account transactions, and production reports on a single web-based electronic report. Processors using the system no longer have to spend time reproducing and mailing the information to the various state and federal agencies involved with monitoring and managing the fisheries.

"We are pleased that it's being so well-received and proud to be involved with developing this successful state-of-the-art, innovative system," said Gail Smith, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) eLandings Project Manager. "There are many benefits. The system is free to processors and buyers interested in using eLandings and we also help set-up the system and provide onsite training."

The eLandings system is now being used by the majority of seafood processors to report crab landings in the Bering Sea and Western Gulf of Alaska, and groundfish statewide.

"Overall, we really like using eLandings," said Kirk Peterson, UniSea, Inc. Support Services Manager. "The system consolidates harvest reporting to multiple management agencies and allows for the upload of landing report data directly from our system into the eLandings system. That eliminates duplicative data entry."

That kind of reporting efficiency was the goal of eLandings, according to Smith. Due to the success of the system, in 2007 ADF&G plans to integrate eLandings into shellfish fisheries throughout state and will begin development to make eLandings available for the salmon and herring fisheries.

"While the system will be voluntary for all fisheries that fall under State of Alaska jurisdiction, we want to make it attractive and support all processors and buyers," said Carmine DiCostanzo, Chief of Computer Services for the Division of Commercial Fisheries.

eLandings is the product of five years of collaboration among ADF&G, NOAA Fisheries, the International Pacific Halibut Commission, and fish processors. Technical assistance was provided by Wostmann and Associates, a Juneau-based information technology consulting firm.

On the Web:

eLandings system
www.elandings.alaska.gov

Source of News:

Alaska Department of Fish and Game
www.adfg.state.ak.us

 

SitNews ©2006
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska