A new electronic monitoring (EM) website is being launched to help improve catch monitoring and increase accountability in US fisheries.
This comes after the National Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Workshop, which saw fishermen, agencies and service providers come together to discuss EM issues and key components of successful EM programmes across all regions.
Dorothy Lowman, a fisheries consultant and chair of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, said: “We’ve seen many EM pilot projects over the years, and they’re important, but we thought it was time to pull key stakeholders together from every region to talk about how we can move as efficiently as possible from feasibility to implementation.”
The workshop also looked at EM goal-setting, costs, logistics, data integration, bycatch and the challenges met in recreational, small-boat or multi-species fisheries.
Sarah McTee, fishery policy specialist, EDF, added: “The conversation surrounding EM has shifted, and I predict we will see more proactive approaches to determining how technology can be utilised to meet monitoring needs.”
The new website currently houses workshop-related presentations, background papers and contact information for the workshop’s participants, but the plan is to build it out more in coming weeks, and provide and information-sharing network for everyone interested in EM.
