IOTC Collection and Reporting Forms for the Regional Observer Scheme

Forms developed by the IOTC Secretariat in 2025 to support the collection of catch and fisheries data by scientific observers under the Regional Observer Scheme (ROS), and for reporting to the IOTC. The forms are available in English.

This deposit contains the official reporting forms for the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Regional Observer Scheme. The forms were developed to standardise the collection of fisheries and observer data by observers onboard fishing vessels and by reviewers (“dry observers”) analysing footage from electronic monitoring systems, as well as to harmonise the subsequent reporting of these data to the IOTC. Their design ensures consistency and completeness in line with relevant IOTC Resolutions.

In 2025, the IOTC released updated versions of the ROS forms with the aim of improving data accuracy and consistency. The forms—available for longline, purse seine, pole-and-line, and gillnet fisheries—are to be completed by national administrations and/or scientific institutions responsible for implementing observer programmes. Compared with previous versions, this iteration includes revised fields and improved alignment across gear-specific forms, following guidance from the Scientific Committee (IOTC-2024-SC27-DATA01). Notably, several fields were reclassified as mandatory or optional to enhance data completeness while addressing feedback from Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties (CPCs).

Detailed descriptions of the form structure and fields for each gear group are available on the IOTC website under the Regional Observer Scheme Datasets: IOTC Data Reporting Forms.

Major revisions to data collection forms:

• Gillnet (GN) – Transhipment sections removed; minor revisions to several fields

• Longline (LL) – New sections added for tori lines and other mitigation devices; new section for tag information; transhipment sections removed

• Pole-and-line (PL) – New trip-level catch summary section; bait fishing details simplified and reclassified as optional

• Purse seine (PS) – Separate sections added for tag information; transhipment sections removed.

These forms are published on Zenodo to ensure stable, versioned access and to support citation through Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs). Each release is linked to the corresponding IOTC code lists and reference datasets in use at the time of publication.

Contents

   The four data reporting forms were designed to be submitted to the IOTC Secretariat. 

• ROS_GN: Gillnet fisheries
• ROS_LL: Longline fisheries
• ROS_PL: Pole-and-line fisheries
• ROS_PS: Purse seine fisheries

These forms were created in `.xlsx` format, and are available in English. All sections of the reporting forms have also been exported as individual `.csv` files for ease of use.