large amounts of data to be transmitted over satellite link resulting in high airtime charges, but also provide a very high level of functionality. In other regions where per vessel cost and huge fleet sizes are an issue, communication technologies such as AIS are used which significantly reduce equipment and airtime costs whilst delivering acceptable basic VMS system functionality. Applications VMS is intended principally for fisheries management, but the country using it may use the data for other purposes. See the broad framework of Monitoring control and surveillance Fisheries management Among all the most basic purposes is to monitor the movement of VMS-equipped vessels with respect to restricted fishing areas. A given vessel may have approval to fish in a restricted area, to transit through it without fishing, or it may not be allowed in the area. Catch reporting Not all VMS systems are required to record and transmit catch reports. On the systems with separate PCs, it is reasonably easy to distribute separate software, although the fishermen may or may not be able to install it without assistance and additional equipment. For VMS with dedicated PCs, additional software can be made part of software support with established channels. In the EU and US there is a distinct trend to making catch reporting part of an overall MCS program, although current VMS systems rarely integrate this capability with position reporting. One system that does to this is Fulcrum Maritime Systems Limited's Vessel Tracking Service which uses the latest data rich satellite application technology to enable electronic catch reports to be sent from the vessel to the VMS directly and automatically sends the report and vessel position data to the appropriate RFO or Regulatory Fishing Body, such as the NEAFC. Under the European Union scheme, vessels are generally required to report Catch on entry Weekly catch Transshipment Port of landing Catch on exit Within the EU an Electronic Reporting System is being implemented as part of the EU VMS system to automate collection of catch data, and exchange of data between EU states. A number of programs require tracking of days at sea (DAS) for a given vessel. They may require tracking the total cumulative catch of a given fishery. See Fisheries Monitoring Centre from Fulcrum Maritime Systems Limited: www.fulcrum-maritime.com Fisheries research and analysis VMS is a planning and analysis tool as well as an aid to operations. Treated as a