Introduction of the Fisher Identification Number (FIN) in the Pacific Region

DFO Pacific has been exploring opportunities to accurately identify fishers in the field while minimizing requirements to make repeated collections of sensitive personal fisher information, such as date of birth (DOB), gender, etc. The assignment of a unique Fisher Identification Number (FIN) to each vessel owner, holder of a commercial licence eligibility and Fisher Registration Card (FRC) in the Pacific Region would allow for quick and accurate identification with no further collection of supporting personal information being required. The FIN approach has been used successfully for many years in East Coast fisheries.

When you were issued your first licence by DFO, a record was created in the licensing system to store information that uniquely identifies you for licensing purposes. This record includes your name, date of birth and address, as well as a unique ID number. You may have noticed a Party ID or PID number printed on your Fisher Registration Card (FRC) and both party and vessel based licences. Up until now, this number has been used for internal purposes only. Starting in 2006, this number will be called a Fisher Identification Number or FIN, and may be used for other Fish Management purposes. Licence holders may be asked to provide their FIN when applying for a licence , or for dockside monitoring, or for enforcement purposes as indicated in the 2006 Integrated Fishery Management Plan (IFMP) for your fishery or in the licence conditions attached to your licence. (...)

Q. What will the FIN number track?
A. The FIN will be used in the Pacific Licensing System to document every commercial fisher’s legal name, date of birth, address, and gender. Used in combination with the fisher’s name the FIN will provide a highly accurate means to positively identify fishers for hail, Dockside Monitoring Program (DMP), offloading, enforcement, data collection, and other activities.

Q. When will the FIN be implemented?
A. The FIN will be implemented for Pacific Region commercial fisheries starting in 2006.

Q. How will I receive my FIN?
A. The unique FIN number will be automatically generated in the Pacific Licensing System when a fisher applies for a licence. The number will be printed on licence documents beside the fisher’s name.
Q. What do I need to do once I receive my FIN?
A. As a fisher all you need to do is be ready to provide your new FIN whenever you would normally need to provide your name and other personal information, e.g. for licensing, hails, log books, catch monitoring, etc. (...)

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/licence-permis/FIN-NIP-en...
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