VMS Installation and Activation Report

Vessel Monitoring Systems Installation and Activation Report

for the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery

INSTRUCTIONS: This Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Installation and Activation report for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery is provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) pursuant to the regulatory requirements of 50 C.F.R. 660.14(d). The vessel owner or operator must follow the indicated procedures when installing or re-installing a type-approved VMS transceiver unit.

This VMS installation and Certification Report is applicable for the VMS transceiver units and communications service providers currently approved for use in the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery. As additional VMS transceiver units and communication service providers are approved, revised instructions will be posted on the NMFS, Office for Law Enforcement (OLE) web site at;

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ole/nw_vms.html

and, on the NMFS Northwest Region web site at;

http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Groundfish-Halibut/Groundfish-Fishery-Management/Vessel-Monitoring-System/Index.cfm

Follow the steps for the particular transceiver unit selected by the vessel owner. The vessel owner is responsible for all installation and activation costs. After the installation is complete and unit is activated, the owner must mail or fax the Installation and Activation Certification Report to NMFS, OLE, Northwest Division, 7600 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-6349. Fax (206) 526-6528.

INSTALLATION AND ACTIVATION

Begin by consulting the “Vessel Monitoring System, List of Approved Mobile Transceiver Units and Communications Service Providers for the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery”. This list of type-approved transceiver units and communications service providers, which consolidates information published in the Federal Register, will be posted on the OLE and Northwest Region web sites. The list is also available from NMFS OLE by calling (206) 526-6135.

A VMS transceiver unit reimbursement opportunity may be available to fishing vessel owners and/or operators that have purchased an approved VMS transceiver unit in order to comply with fishery management regulations. To determine reimbursement eligibility, please review the information available from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission web site, at;

http://www.psmfc.org/Vessel_Monitoring_System

Purchasing, installing and activating a new VMS transceiver unit:

Step 1: Contact the entities identified in the Federal Register Notice under “VMS Provider Addresses”. Indicate to the providers that you will be using the VMS transceiver unit for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery and you would like to obtain purchase and installation information on the units they provide. Determine the transceiver unit and communications service provider that best suits your needs. Select which satellite system to use for the fishing vessel’s VMS.

Step 2: Install the VMS transceiver unit and antenna according to the installation instructions contained in the manual supplied by the manufacturer, or contact a marine electronics specialist or dealer to install the unit. In order to be eligible for VMS transceiver unit reimbursement, a vessel owner and/or operator must have the VMS transceiver unit properly installed on the vessel by an authorized dealer or installer and activated utilizing a type approved communications provider.

Step 3: Run the cable connecting the unit in the wheelhouse to the antenna mounted outside, through a solid, immovable and permanent part of the vessel such as a bulkhead, deck, or console.

Step 4: Turn on the power to the vessel transceiver.

Step 5: Confirm by phone, with your communications service provider’s Customer Service that periodic position reports are now automatically being sent to NOAA OLE.

Step 6: Once you transceiver unit is installed and activated and you have confirmed with your customer service provider that the unit is operational, fill out the “VMS Installation and Certification Report” and mail or fax it to NMFS.

OMB Control No. 0648-0573; Expires 2/28/2014

VMS INSTALLATION AND ACTIVATION CERTIFICATION REPORT

The vessel owner must sign this statement certifying compliance with the installation procedures defined for VMS transceiver unit, then submit this certification to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NMFS, Office for Law Enforcement (OLE), Northwest Division, 7600 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-6349. Fax (206) 526-6528. Before participating in a fishery requiring VMS transmissions, you must obtain a confirmation from NMFS OLE that the VMS transmissions are being received without error.

Vessel Name:

Documentation number: Federal Groundfish Permit Number:

VMS Unit Manufacturer: VMS Unit serial number:

INMARSAT Serial number (ISN): INMARSAT mobile number (INM):

Is this VMS unit a primary or back-up unit?  Primary  Back-up

VMS Communications Service Provider:

(The information listed above should have been provided by the VMS unit manufacture)

Has the VMS Transceiver Unit you are registering been previously registered to another vessel that operated in marine waters off the coast of Washington, Oregon or California? Yes  No 

Note: Registering a VMS transceiver unit to more than one vessel at the same time is prohibited. If this VMS Transceiver Unit was previously registered to another vessel that operated in marine waters off the coast of Washington, Oregon or California, you must submit with this activation report and proof of ownership of the VMS transceiver unit or proof of service termination from the communication service provider.

Certification: In accordance with 50 C.F.R. 660.14(d), as the owner of a vessel participating in the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery, I hereby certify that the VMS system on my vessel has been installed in compliance with the applicable procedures and the manufactures instructions.

Vessel Owner Name: ___________________________________________________________________

Vessel Owner Signature: _______________________________________ Date: ____________________

PRA STATEMENT: Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 4 hours per installation, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining data needed, and completing and reviewing the information. The burden for submission of this VMS Installation and Activation Certification Report is estimated at 6 minutes per response. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or suggestions for reducing this burden to: NMFS, Office of Law Enforcement, Northwest Division, 7600 Sandpoint Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115-6349. The information collection described above is confidential under section 402 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act and under NOAA Administrative Order 216-100, Protection of Confidential Fisheries Statistics.

VMS Installation and Activation Report – INSTRUCTIONS 2