Improvement on the implementation of the new Malaysia e-Logbook for tuna Fisheries in Indian Ocean.

As the need for conservation of the national marine resources increases, the need for more and better-quality data on how these resources are utilized also increases. One of the most crucial data is the data for catch per unit effort. To meet these needs, Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOFM) will be implementing e-logbook programmes starting year 2020 and these programs were initiated for deep sea and tuna fisheries. Fishermen are required to report the numbers of each species caught, the numbers of animals retained or discarded alive or discarded dead (longline gear is non-selective and unwanted or prohibited species such as, billfishes, sea turtles, etc., must be returned to the water), the location of the set, the types and size of gear, and the duration of the set. Previously all of those data were recorded in the manual logbook form provided by DOFM. Starting year 2020, a system called e-logbook will be implement and all recorded data will be updated in the online system. This include data recording by vessel’s captain, reporting and monitoring of data by vessels owner, Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) and Department of Fisheries (DOFM). All those data that will