Vessel_User_Guide_2018.pdf

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Vessel User Guide

Groundfish Fishing Year 2018 May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2019

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PLEASE NOTE:

A MAJOR PTNS SYSTEM UPDATE HAS BEEN

MADE FOR GROUNDFISH FISHING YEAR 2018

Your login information and notification requirements, including notifying for groundfish trips at least 48 hours in advance, remain the same.

Major differences you will notice:

• A modern look to the website

• Changes to the way notification information is collected

• Separate entry screens for day trip notifications and multiday trip notifications

• Ability to enter a block of day trip notifications with a single submission

• Expanded gear options

• All notifications listed on a single page

PLEASE VERIFY YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION when you first log in to your web account to ensure it was transferred properly during the update.

In this document, you will find step-by-step instructions on how to use the PTNS website. If you have additional questions, contact the PTNS Team at 855-347-4371 (855-FISHES1).

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Logging In

To log into your PTNS web account:

1. Navigate your browser to http://fish.nefsc.noaa.gov/PTNS. This is the same URL as the original PTNS website.

2. Enter your vessel permit number as your username.

3. Enter your FishOnline PIN as your password.

4. Click the LOG IN button.

If you forget your password, you will not be able to reset it from the login screen. You must call staff at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office at 978-281-9188 to retrieve or reset your password. The PTNS Team will still be able to access your account during this time, but they do not have access to your password; you may contact them at 855-347-4371 if you need to use your PTNS account.

http://fish.nefsc.noaa.gov/PTNS

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Home Screen

You will see the home screen once you log in. There may be alerts displayed in the message box if needed, such as warnings of planned system outages.

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Vessel Contact Information

To view and edit vessel contact information, click the Maintenance tab and select Vessel Account Settings.

All of the phone numbers and email addresses associated with your PTNS account are listed on the Vessel Account Settings screen.

To add a contact:

1. Click the ‘+ Add Contact’ button.

2. Select the desired Contact Type:

• EMAIL - email addresses for automated alerts and other PTNS correspondence

• PHONE - phone numbers for voice calls from providers and FSB staff

• TEXT - phone numbers you’d prefer to be texted first before receiving a voice call

3. Enter the desired contact (phone or email) into the blank field under Value.

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4. Click the Save button.

To delete a contact:

1. Click the red X button next to the contact you want to delete.

2. Click the Save button.

While there is no limit to the number of contacts you can list on your account, but you must have at least one phone number and one email address listed on your account in order to enter notifications.

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Entering New Notifications

The new trip entry screens collect the information necessary to determine a trip’s selection status and facilitate the deployment of assigned observers. To enter a new notification, first click the Trips tab and select the option that matches your trip type. Select

• ‘Enter Trips (Bulk/Day Trips)’ if you are taking short trips that are generally 1 or 2 days in length.

Vessels often notify for blocks of consecutive sail dates, and day trip notifications and selection status apply to a single calendar day (00:00-23:59) and may not be delayed.

OR

• ‘Enter Trip (Multiday Trips)’ if you are taking longer trips that are generally 3 or more days in length and have longer turnaround times. Vessels have one active trip notification in the system at a time, and multiday trip notifications may be delayed.

If you need assistance determining if you should be notifying for day or multiday trips, please call the PTNS Team at 1-855-FISHES1 (1-855-347-4371) or email NEFSC.PTNS@noaa.gov.

Then complete the following fields:

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Sail Date

Day Trips

To select your desired sail date(s) and times:

1. Click the box containing your desired sail date. When selected, the box will turn blue.

• You will only be able to select available sail dates within 48 hours and 10 days in advance.

• You may need to scroll down the list of dates to see all available notification dates.

• If a notification already exists for a certain date, the box will be light blue, and you will not be able to select that date.

You cannot enter 2 notifications for the same day; your day trip notification selection status applies to any time you leave the dock within that calendar day.

2. If the default time listed is not correct:

o Click the clock icon to the right of the desired date.

o In the Select Departure Time pop-up, click on the hour of the day that you plan to leave the dock. The system will only allow times that are 48 hours or more in advance, so it will display the First Available hour on the lower right of the pop-up if not all times for that day are available.

Pre-Trip Notification System Vessel User Guide | Version 180517 9 o Click your desired sail minute in the Select Departure Time pop-up.

3. Repeat this step until all your desired dates are selected and highlighted blue.

To deselect a sail date, click the box containing that date. The box will no longer be highlighted blue and a notification will not be submitted for that date.

In order to enter notifications in bulk, they must all have the same trip characteristics. For instance, if you plan to make a set-only trip, you must enter that notification separately.

Multiday Trips

To select your desired sail date and times:

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1. Click the calendar icon.

2. Click your desired sail date in the pop-up calendar. Only dates between 48 hours and 10 days in advance will be available to select. The blue highlighted date and time indicate the earliest notification; the date and time that is 48 hours from time of entry.

3. Click your desired sail hour in the pop-up calendar.

4. Click your desired sail minute in the pop-up calendar.

Fishery

Fishery will automatically be listed as Groundfish as that is the only fishery using PTNS. No action is needed.

Port Sail

Select the port out of which you plan to sail. It will default to the port listed in the vessel’s most recent notification. If your port is the same, no action is needed.

To change ports:

1. Click the dropdown field.

2. Hit the backspace key.

3. Begin typing the port name and select your port when it appears. Ports appear in alphabetical order.

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Estimated Trip Duration (Days) Select the length of your trip, rounded to days. It will default to the estimated trip duration in the vessel’s most recent notification. If your trip duration is the same, no action is needed. You will be able to select a length of 1 or 2 days in the day trip entry screen and 3 – 13 days in the multiday trip entry screen. If you do not see the trip length you desire, you may need to switch from entering a day trip notification to a multiday trip notification or vice versa. Use the ‘Trips’ tab to change between the notification entry pages.

As a reminder, these trip types have different rules. Contact the PTNS Coordinators if you need assistance determining if you should be entering day trips or multiday trips.

The screenshot on the right is the Estimated Trip Duration page from day trip entry, multiday is on the left.

Help text

Each field has a small blue question mark next to it. These question marks open a description of the field requirements and any helpful information associated with that field. Please contact the PTNS coordinators with any suggestions to change this text to make it as helpful as possible.

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Next/Restart

If you make a mistake and need to start over, you may hit the Reset button at any time.

In order to continue entering notification information, click the Next button. The Next button is needed because PTNS needs to know notification dates before moving on so that the notification is processed correctly.

Then complete the following fields:

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Gear/Mesh Size

The updated PTNS has more gear options than were listed in the original PTNS. Select the gear you plan to use the most. The system will default to the gear listed in the vessel’s most recent notification. If your gear is the same, no action is needed.

Ruhle Trawl and Haddock Separator Trawls have definitions in regulations; 50 CFR 648.85 (b)(6)(iv)(J)(3) and 50 CFR 648.85 (a)(3)(iii)(A), respectively. The regulations can be found at https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/648.85. Any trawl gears modified from these exact specifications are considered ‘Otter Trawl, Fish’.

Trip Permit Category

Permit category will be automatically listed as ALL, as there are no other permit category options for the groundfish fishery. PTNS does not currently base selection on permit category. No action is needed.

Access Area

Access area will be automatically listed as OPEN, as there are no other access area options for the groundfish fishery. PTNS does not currently base selection on access area. No action is needed.

Fishing Region

Select the broad stock area in which you plan to fish the most. It will default to the area listed in the vessel’s most recent notification. If your area is the same, no action is needed.

Note: SNE-MA stands for Southern New England – Mid-Atlantic.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/648.85

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EFP Program

If you are not participating in an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) program, EFP Program will be automatically listed as NONE. No action is needed.

If your permit is enrolled in an approved EFP, those EFP options will appear in the dropdown list. If you are participating in an EFP, select the EFP under which you will be fishing. For vessels who will be fishing multiple EFPs in a single trip, there will be combination options such as the ability to choose 1) EFP A 2) EFP B or 3) EFP A and EFP B.

Special Trip Characteristics Select special trip characteristics that may affect coverage requirements, if applicable:

• ‘Set-Only’ is for gillnet trips where the vessel will be setting gear only. This option only appears on the dropdown if a gillnet gear/mesh was selected. The screenshot above does not show Set-Only because a trawl gear was chosen for this particular notification.

o Vessels may not haul nets if they notify for a set-only trip.

• ‘Transit W/ Product’ is for trips where the vessel will be transiting under a groundfish VMS activity declaration code rather than Declaring Out of Fishery (DOF). It is rare for a vessel to need to notify as a groundfish transit with product.

o Vessels may not have any fishing activity if they notify for a transit trip.

If neither of these situations apply, select the blank option from the dropdown. It will not have any words filled in the field.

Submit/Reset

If you make a mistake and need to start over, you may hit the Restart button at any time

To submit your notification, click the Submit button once.

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When a notification has been successfully submitted, each sail date is shown with its corresponding confirmation number.

If you get a pop-up overlapping trip error, you must edit the estimated trip duration of the existing notification before you can enter a new one. See “Editing Trips” below.

Managing Trips To view and edit existing notifications, click the Trips tab and select Manage Trips.

Viewing Notifications

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In the Manage Trips screen, you will be able to view all of your notifications. The confirmation number, sail port, sail date, observer assignment status, coverage type (if applicable), fishery, and gear for each notification will be visible in the list.

To choose how many notifications are displayed on a page, click the ‘Show Entries’ dropdown in the top left of the page, and select the number of notifications you would like to see on one page.

To search all fields in all of your notifications, begin typing in the search box to the upper right. To search an individual field, begin typing in the search box at the bottom of the column.

To order your notifications by a specific field, click the up or down arrows by the field name.

To view additional information on an individual notification, click the ‘Edit’ button. After viewing the Editing page, you can return to your list of notifications by clicking the ‘Back to Manage Trips’ button.

The Selection Status field currently has the following statuses. These are subject to change and/or renaming soon after the initial rollout of the new system.

• ‘Pending’ is for notifications > 48 hours from the current time

• ‘COVERED’ has two meanings. 1) Notification was preliminarily selected by the PTNS, but the trip is currently being offered to the provider, or 2) the provider accepted the trip and has an observer available. The COVERED notification could change to ‘Waiver’ if the provider is not able to cover the trip. Note, PTNS emails will be sent for final selection status only.

• ‘Waiver’ means that the vessel can sail without an observer under that notification

• ‘Complete’ indicates that that trip already sailed with an observer

• ‘Canceled’ notifications are ones that did not sail. Vessels may not sail on groundfish trips under canceled notifications.

Editing Notifications

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To edit a notification:

1. Click the ‘Edit’ button for the trip you want to change.

2. Change your desired fields.

3. Click the ‘Submit’ button.

When a notification has been successfully edited, the sail date will be shown with its corresponding confirmation number.

To clear unsaved changes and start over, you may click the Restart button at any time. To clear unsaved changes and return to your notification list, click the ‘Back to Manage Trips’ button.

Not all fields can be changed by a vessel. PTNS Coordinators may edit more fields. If you are having trouble editing your trip, contact the PTNS Team at 1-855-347-4371.

Canceling Notifications To cancel a notification:

1. Click the Cancel Trip button.

2. Select a Cancel Reason from the dropdown in the Cancel Trip pop-up.

3. Click the Save button.

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If you do not want to cancel the notification, click the Cancel button in the Cancel Trip pop-up to return to your notification list.

You may not sail on a groundfish trip without a matching active notification in PTNS. If you have canceled your trip in error or otherwise need to reinstate it, contact the PTNS Team at 1-855-347- 4371.

Getting Assistance You can find answers to many of your questions in various areas of the PTNS.

Enter Trips Screen

Each field has a small blue question mark next to it. These question marks open a description of the field requirements and any helpful information associated with that field. Please contact the PTNS coordinators with any suggestions to change this text to make it as helpful as possible.

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Help Screen

To access the PTNS vessel instructions, FAQ, and other useful information, click the Help tab and click on the document you wish to open.

Contact Screen

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To find contact information for PTNS-related questions, click the Contact tab.

Logging Out

To log out of your account, click the Logout tab.

As an increased cybersecurity feature, you will be logged out automatically after 15 minutes of inactivity.

Logging Out