Abstract

Trip tickets are increasingly being used to collect commercial landings information. A trip ticket is a form completed by a fisherman or seafood dealer on an individual fishing trip at the point of first sale. Though commercial landings information has been collected for years, there is a need for more specific and accurate information. Trip tickets are a relatively new method for collecting commercial landings data for most coastal states. The Atlantic states have been operating under the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program (ACCSP) since 1998. The Pacific states have been using trip tickets since 1981. In the Gulf of Mexico, Florida began a commercial landings data collection program utilizing trip tickets in 1984. Louisiana began a program in January 1999, and most recently Alabama implemented trip ticket use in August 2000, while Texas is currently in the developmental stages. Mississippi implemented a working scannable trip ticket for its oyster program in January 2000. Currently, Mississippi is in the process of developing a trip ticket program for other segments ofits fisheries. The information collected provides per trip catch and the associated effort by species and gear. This data provides the basic trip information, and when coupled with biological data (i.e.length and age), makes for sound management regulations. In addition, trip tickets provide an overall view of the number of participants in a fishery, and along with the participants' history, can aid in establishing proof of involvement in a fishery for any possible limited entry system. Trip tickets can also provide the economic worth of a particular fishery.

PDF Preview