FFAW-Unifor Proposes Way Forward on ELOG Implementation

In December, Inshore Council and FFAW staff met with DFO to discuss concerns members had with the mandatory implementation of electronic logbooks in the lobster and FT crab fleets.

Accessibility Issues

The shift to ELOGs leaves the sense DFO is delegating the role of paid government staff onto harvesters, of which a significant number of older harvesters are not comfortable with smartphones or tablets and have no intention of using smart devices. Dockside monitors and fishery officers also lack familiarity and experience with ELOG technology.

While paper logs are free, harvesters are forced to spend a minimum of $60 every season per species for an ELOG. Mandating ELOGs could also cause companies to increase this fee. There is also a cost associated with acquiring a phone or tablet to utilize an ELOG.

Technology and Cost Concerns

Harvesters also expressed privacy concerns, such as whether a phone could be confiscated for investigation purposes.

Many areas in Newfoundland and Labrador have little to no access to cellular or Wi-Fi services. Although harvesters may be given 72 hours to submit their log, this becomes difficult to impossible while fishing for a week or more in areas with little to no connectivity. Lobster harvesters on the south and west coasts fishing from remote camps would find electronic log submission especially difficult.

In the lobster fishery, most harvesters are fishing from speedboats, which could make entering data into an ELOG difficult and increase the risk of losing the device overboard.

Solutions 

Given these numerous unaddressed concerns, members feel the shift towards ELOGs seems rushed. In an attempt to find a solution, FFAW submitted a proposal to DFO to find a way forward on the implementation of ELOGs. As of January 20, the department has indicated the proposal is still under review.

The FFAW has proposed 2025 be treated as an implementation year, where any harvester prepared to adopt ELOGs be encouraged to do so by saving $60 on their licensing fee for the species they are using one for. All other harvesters would continue to submit by paper log in 2025.

It was also proposed that several harvesters from each LFA be selected to use ELOGs for the season in 2025. During fall 2025 and winter 2026, the selected harvesters would attend fleet meetings to relay their experiences to fellow harvesters. Beyond 2025, any harvester unable to use an ELOG would be permitted to continue using paper logs under the FFAW’s proposal.