Masters who are operating as commercial, pleasure or sport fishers, who received fishing licenses for the years 2020 and 2021 and have not submitted their fish catch logbooks or datasheets are to do so immediately.

Director in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Theodore E. James said, “Fisheries data is required for proper stock assessment and assists with the management of our fisheries. Data should be recorded every time your vessel goes out to fish and submitted weekly or monthly. The lack of reporting fish catch data is one of many ways fishing licences can be suspended or denied.”

Datasheets can be collected on Sister Islands at the office of the District Officer, Fisherman’s Cooperatives, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and can be downloaded from www.bvi.gov.vg/doaf. All data can be submitted electronically via email at fisheries@gov.vg or hand-delivered at the department.

Mr James said Section 9(h) of the Fisheries Regulations, 2003, states, “the master shall provide information as soon as is reasonably practicable and, in any case, not later than seven days on the fishing operations carried out by the vessel outside the fishery waters, which information shall be given in such form and at such times as the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries may require.”

For any information regarding fisheries data and the management of fisheries, contact the Department at 468-6123 / 6124.