Andy Prendergast, Fleet Manager, New Fishing
I applaud Mr. Bohm’s efforts to give companies the ability to real time monitor
their remote fisheries and I can also see other benefits in aspects such as controlling
target fishing of small prawn and helping put an end to lengthy delays associated
with stock assessment.
Skippers can record all aspects of fishing and look up past records to improve future
catches and eliminate a lot of paperwork.
Charlie Fuss, Skipper, FV Northern Rose
CatchLog is the way of the future for the fishing industry. I think every fisherman
should give this program a go. Even those that may not be completely comfortable
with technology will soon discover that CatchLog is a program that is so easy to
operate and it will make their job a lot easier for them.
CatchLog lets you enter your catch records quickly and easily and then retrieve
this information at the click of a button. I like to wait till I’m on anchor and
then feed the data from the previous night into the system, but if you have a computer
on board separate to your plotter you can just have it open 24/7 and enter the information
in directly each shot if you prefer.
To me a program like CatchLog makes good sense for me as a skipper and for our fishing
company too.
Con Triantopoulos, Skipper, FV Comac Enterprise
I have been using CatchLog for the past two years and went full on with it last
year when we started using it as our sole logbook with data being sent to AFMA via
the program. It is great to do away with the paper records and we got a good report
back on our logbooks from AFMA.
CatchLog is fairly easy to use, especially if you have a bit of computer experience
behind you already. Even someone green to it can learn it in a few days. There was
good support too, with help just a phone call away and any problems sorted out very
quickly.
I found the whole program useful. It is excellent to have all the data available
and calculations made for you the click of a button. I have just started to use
it for vessel management as well as logbooks and when you know your prawn price
CatchLog can work out all your crew deductions and payments.
I recommend CatchLog to other fishermen as an invaluable tool for the industry
Matthew Smith, Skipper, FV Cenator
Since I started using CatchLog 12 months ago it has proven itself to be one of the
most useful tools on board the boat.
I have five key applications for CatchLog: sending my data to AFMA every fortnight
via email; sending regular Total on Board to our export company; sending weekly
catch details to the vessel owner; recording all catch details for my own use for
fishing and accounting; and recording crew deductions.
CatchLog is so simple and user friendly. Why would anyone still fill out the 4 or
5 paper logs required in our fishery, when they can do it all so quickly and easily
using CatchLog? Instead of being a tedious chore, CatchLog makes you want to enter
your catch data because it shows you instantly exactly how your vessel is traveling.
If you enter a product price you can even get the dollar value for your catch.
The CatchLog back up and customer service is fantastic too, with support at hand
whenever you need it and feedback on the program welcomed and taken into consideration
for new versions.
I highly recommend CatchLog to any fisherman, whatever sector of the industry they
are working.
Mike Farrell, Skipper, Territory Leader
I have used CatchLog for the past two years and there is no way I could ever go
back to filling out paper logbooks again. I have transferred data to AFMA with absolutely
no dramas. This season I will be transferring my data to AFMA via email using CDMA.
Our catch data is just so much more manageable using CatchLog. I don’t have to wade
through a mountain of paperwork and I get to see my data in real time so I know
exactly what I am catching. The modification that allows us to enter a price into
the system and see the dollar value of our catch is very useful. The graphs and
charts let you play with the numbers anyway you like. I can also look back at an
accurate, easy to read record of my past catch history and use that information
to optimize my current fishing effort.
CatchLog has benefits for fisheries management, too. Because the information AFMA
are receiving via CatchLog is real time data they can make much better informed
management decisions than they can when basing them on paper logbooks with a 6 month
time lag before labour intensive data entry is carried out and the data they contain
then processed.
As far as I am concerned Electronic logbook programs such as CatchLog are the only
way to go, this is the future for the fishing industry.
Scott Davis, Ex-Skipper, FV Cape York
I was one of the skippers to pilot CatchLog and continued to use the program for
three years, until I took a break from the industry. At first I sent the data to
AFMA via disc and then I e-mailed it. In both cases the data was sent and received
successfully.
I found CatchLog to be a very user friendly program and it actually made record
keeping enjoyable and so much easier than the paper logbook system.
It was very useful to have such an accurate and accessible record of my fishing
data at hand, available at the click of a button. When the company needed to know
what was on board I could provide that information instantly in a clear and concise
format. There was no need for me to do lengthy calculations or fax off handwritten
sheets. In this way CatchLog is a great time saver for everyone involved.
The other benefit of CatchLog is that it offers a complete vessel management system
to record all gear and stores purchased and reorder, crew details and so on.
I recommend CatchLog as the complete record keeping package for the fishing industry.
Phil Robson, Raptis Fleet Master
The Raptis Group is pleased to say we are one of the first customers to install
the CatchLog program on its fleet of vessels and have been active users of the product
now for three seasons. During this time, we have supported Dieter Bohm and his CatchLog
team to bring the product to market, inputting to the product development schedule
by offering our customer requirements and giving valuable feedback on actual field
usage.
While this development has occurred, the Raptis Group has received value from the
product that I can say has been demonstrated through increased productivity for
our skippers so they can concentrate on fishing rather than administration. We have
had discussions with regard to their Company Analysis program, which analyses fleet
data to enable better decision-making. We have given our requirements to CatchLog
and await the final product in order to trial within our corporate premises.
The Australian Fishing Management Authority (AFMA) intends to introduce the use
of electronic log books for daily reporting. We understand CatchLog has received
approval from AFMA on their program for the Northern and South East Trawl fisheries
and continues to work with AFMA and DPIF to ensure their program is approved across
all Australian fishing territories.
To the best of our knowledge, there is no product on the market that matches CatchLog’s
functionality and while they continue to work closely with companies such as Raptis,
it would appear that CatchLog will remain the market leader for vessel management
systems in the commercial fishing industry for some time to come.
|