Lobster and Crab ELOGS Mandatory in Many Canadian Fisheries by January 1st, 2025

Originally published November 20th, 2024 and updated on December 6th, 2024.

Canada’s commercial fishing industry is taking a significant step forward. By January 1st, 2025, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) will require electronic logbooks (ELOGS) in Crab and Lobster fisheries across the Gulf and Quebec regions. In a December 5th press release, they also said, “Mandatory ELOGs will also be rolled out in select fisheries in the Maritimes Region and Newfoundland and Labrador in the spring.”

ELOGS will replace paper logbooks, streamlining data entry for harvesters and ensuring faster data delivery to resource managers for improved decision-making. This is an important move towards better-managed commercial fisheries. The mandatory adoption will continue to roll out for other fisheries throughout 2025 and 2026.

Vericatch offers the only ELOG app in Canada, and we are nationally certified for both Lobster and Crab, as well as:

• Groundfish, including Redfish, Cod, Turbot, and Halibut
• Small Pelagics, including Mackerel, Herring, Alewife, Capelin, and Smelts
• Whelk, Bivalve Mollusks, and Squid 
• Salmon
• Shrimp to be qualified shortly

We will support all commercial fisheries requiring ELOGS by the time they are mandatory.

As 2024 marks the final year for paper logbooks in many Lobster and Crab fisheries, Vericatch urges harvesters to adopt ELOGS now. Starting early means fewer headaches during the busy fishing season—and for just $60/year, you can streamline catch reporting and gain a competitive edge.

We will be hosting in-person ELOG training sessions in Quebec, the Gulf, the Maritimes Region and Newfoundland and Labrador before the 2025 season. Check out the full list of sessions here, and we will post updates on our social media and our monthly newsletter.  Our events page is continually updated with new sessions and locations, so please check back often. These sessions are a great opportunity for harvesters to see our ELOGS in action, try them for themselves, and ask any questions.  

Quotes:

“This is an exciting step forward for fishermen, for the industry, and for Vericatch. We’ve been in the fishtech space for over 15 years, and the rollout of ELOGS will play a huge part in modernizing the industry.”
– Dr. Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak, Vericatch’s VP of Business Development and Chief Science Officer.

“I am proud of my department’s progress on the collection of catch information through more modern ELOGs. With ELOGs, harvesters can submit their data in near-real time, helping DFO to get accurate, effective, and consistent catch data from across the country. This means better business and fisheries management, conservation, and protection of our precious resources.”
– The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Vericatch ELOGS are easy to use and I enjoyed working with them on a daily basis. Eliminating the paper logbooks to use ELOGS on your phone or tablet is the future. I would recommend ELOGS to all harvesters to download the App and get started!”
– Curtis Snelgrove, 3L Fish Harvester.

About Vericatch:

Vericatch is a Canadian-owned fishtech company specializing in developing robust catch reporting and seafood traceability software to support a stronger, more sustainable fishing industry. Founded by a team of fishermen and technologists, Vericatch is uniquely positioned as the only company nationally qualified by the DFO offering a mobile app and true online/offline functionality. We design our products to serve fishermen first.

Associated Links:

• How digital catch reporting improves fisheries management
• Why mobile apps are more stable and reliable for fishermen
• How we safeguard fishermen’s data