Real Time Data’s Deckhand Pro electronic logbook was approved as an official electronic vessel trip report (eVTR) application by the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Office in early May. This means that soon, federally-permitted fishermen will be able to use the software to collect data and submit eVTRs once the software goes “live” later this summer.
The approval was a welcome milestone for the company, which has been working to tailor Deckhand Pro for fishermen in the Greater Atlantic Region for the past several months. Approval comes at the right time, too — beginning November 10, 2021, federally-permitted fishermen in the region (with some exceptions/exemptions) will be required to switch to electronic reporting from the current paper VTR framework. Real Time Data hopes to demonstrate to fishermen that Deckhand truly is fisherman-first technology that will make the transition to electronic reporting the easiest it can be.
On top of basic eVTR reporting, Real Time Data is also working on additional features to be released later this summer which will increase Deckhand Pro’s value to fishermen. The aim is to provide tools in the software that will be beneficial to the daily operation of the vessel, fishing business, and bottom line.
Real Time Data will announce details about the launch of Deckhand Pro in the coming weeks.
*Deckhand™ Pro will not be available to submit eVTRs to NOAA Fisheries until after the official “Deckhand™ Pro for GARFO” launch date. Launch date will be announced on www.deckhandlogbook.com as well as through other platforms.
Photo: Patrick Lalonde