Data & Info > DCRF > Platform

The DCRF online platform was built for the official transmission of national fisheries data to the GFCM. It provides CPCs with online tools for data entry and submission in line with relevant GFCM decisions.

The CPC national authorities are provided with two sets of credentials by the GFCM Secretariat to access the online platform: the first set relates to both data-entry and transmission features, the second one to data-entry only.

The management of these credentials is the sole responsibility of the relevant national authorities. Although different national users can use these credentials simultaneously, working on the same data reporting tool at the same time (e.g. same data table for the same reference year) is not advised as it may affect the functioning of data entry and/or reporting procedures.

The DCRF online platform mirrors the structure (task and sub tasks) of the DCRF manual,in line with the requirements of relevant GFCM decisions. For further information, the following is available, from a dedicated webpage in English and French, for each data requirement:

• A link to the pertinent GFCM recommendation;
• An introduction for each task/subtask;
• The names and relevant descriptions for the data fields to compile;
• Codification standards to comply with;
• The online tools to perform data-entry and transmission to GFCM;
• Historical data submission records.

An online guide is also available with relevant information on the:

• use of Excel-based reporting tools for both online and offline data-entry activities;
• data conformity check features to assists users in identifying data-entry problems (if any) before proceeding with the final data transmission to GFCM;
• transmission status of national datasets ("A" - No data, "D" - Draft data, "T" - Transmitted data, "V" - Validated data);
• e-mail notification system for changes in the transmission status;
• online email archive for national correspondence with the GFCM Secretarariat (accessible by the national DCRF account for data transmission ony).

The online Excel-based reporting tools are regularly updated. CPCs should ensure that they are using the latest versions when they make their annual submissions.

The system automatically names each tool using the following fields:

• Data submissions calendar, 2023
• Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF) Manual | (EN | FR)