Scottish fishing vessels are being fitted out with cutting-edge CCTV technology to help reduce fish discards.
Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead was at Peterhead Harbour this week to see one of seven boats being fitted with and testing out the new system.
The £100,000 pilot is using the cameras to enhance monitoring, control and observation capability.
Mr Lochhead said that a similar plan in Denmark has already begun to show successful results, delivering the evidence and confidence required to effectively deal with the discards issue. The Scottish boats will deliver a wide range of information from both the North Sea and the west coast.
The main aims of the pilot project are to establish:
• If CCTV can be used as an effective tool to provide reliable catch/discard observation data
• If it can incentivise fishermen to comply with fisheries management systems and stock conservation initiatives
• If it can be used as an effective enhancement to current monitoring and control capabilities particularly with reference to mis-reporting and compliance with discarding bans
• To supplement the work of the Conservation Credits Steering Group (CCSG) in finding further innovative ways to reduce cod mortality
CCTV won't physically stop discards. However, discards are factored into scientific assessments when setting quota levels and this system will provide the evidence and confidence that fishermen are not discarding at high levels and that the selective gears they are using are working as designed to reduce discards or to encourage fishermen to change fishing grounds to avoid potential discarding. Of course where a high grading ban is in place in the North Sea for example the use of CCTV is one of the only compliance tools potentially available to ensure compliance with such a provision.
The trial will be with four whitefish vessels and three nephrop vessels covering all grounds both east and west of Scotland. The systems are designed to monitor the actual gear and catch handling activities onboard a vessel and not the activities of individuals onboard a vessel and there are no cameras looking at areas other than where gear or catch is handled.
