We’ve all been there. You’re back at the dock after a long trip, the catch is off, and now you’re staring at a stack of paper logbooks. You squint at your own handwriting from that 3 AM haul, try to remember if you wrote “20” or “200” pounds of bycatch, and hope you didn’t miss a field that will get your report sent back.
Small mistakes can lead to big headaches. But the good news is that most of these common errors are easy to prevent. Let’s look at the five most frequent issues with paper logs and how an electronic logbook – Deckhand helps you avoid them entirely.
1. The Handwriting Problem
We all write fast when we’re busy and it’s difficult to write properly in a rocky boat. But those rushed scribbles can become a real problem when someone at NOAA or AFMA tries to read them months later. A “4” that looks like a “9” or an illegible species code can cause delays or even compliance issues.
How Digital Fixes It: An electronic logbook replaces handwriting with simple menus. Instead of guessing if you wrote “Red Grouper” or “Red Snapper,” you tap a name from a clear list. It’s the same data, just without the guessing game.
2. Missing or Forgetting Bycatch
Paper logs make it easy to forget to write down everything. A 2023 study found that bycatch and lesser-valued species were underreported in logbooks by a significant margin compared to observer data, sometimes by multiple times the actual amount. Read more: (https://bullmarsci.org/quantification-of-observer-effect-in-the-united-states-atlantic-pelagic-longline-fishery/)
Why It Happens: You’re focused on your target catch. It’s easy to overlook or under-record the bycatch when things get busy.
How Digital Fixes It: A fisheries logbook app – Deckhand prompts you to record every species at the time of the haul. You can record details for your main target and bycatch in the same workflow. Plus, AFMA requires accurate discard records, and automated prompts help ensure nothing gets missed.
3. Math and Calculation Errors
Adding up pounds per species, calculating percentages, or tallying effort hours by hand is tedious and error-prone.
How Digital Fixes It: The app does the math for you. As you enter your catch, it calculates totals, aggregates data by trip, and ensures everything adds up perfectly. This eliminates a major source of error.
4. Forgetting to Record “No Fishing” Days
Did you stay in port due to weather? On paper, you might just not send anything. But federal permits in the US often require a report even for days you don’t fish.
How Digital Helps: If your paper logbook has an inactivity section, Deckhand does too. Same concept, same purpose — just built into the app so your record is clean and consistent whether you fished that day or not.
5. Late Submissions and Lost Paperwork
Mailing paper logbooks takes time. They can get lost. They can sit in a pile for weeks. You never know if the regulator got it or not until it’s too late.
How Digital Fixes It: When you’re ready to submit, you press a button. The data is sent instantly to the regulator. This speed and reliability is why NOAA itself has determined that electronic reporting takes less time and reduces errors compared to paper. Even if you’re out of cellular service area, the report gets queued up and gets automatically sent once you are in range. Deckhand tells you if your submission failed or succeeded.
But What About My Data?
This is the most important question for any fisherman.
You own your data. When you use Deckhand, your fishing information belongs to you. It’s stored securely and is only accessed by you and the fishery managers who need it for compliance. We don’t sell your information or use it for any other purpose. Our mission is to empower fishermen to collect and report their own data.
Ready to Ditch the Paper for Good?
Paper logbooks have been the standard for a long time, but they are also the leading cause of reporting errors. Electronic logbooks like Deckhand are designed to prevent these problems from happening in the first place.
Deckhand gives you a clear, simple way to record your data, submit it with one click, and get back to what matters most.Ready to see how simple reporting can be? Contact us today and get a free demo with one of our specialists https://deckhandlogbook.com/get-free-demo/
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