Electronic Monitoring

What is Electronic Monitoring (EM)?

Electronic monitoring, or EM, is the use of camera technology to collect information on fishing boats. EM can capture important data like the species of fish caught, if the fish was thrown back alive, dead, or dying, and the condition of the fish when it comes on board (for example, if it is whole or was it bitten by a predator, such as a shark or dolphin).

The Shareholders’ Alliance and many of our members work with the Center for Fisheries Electronic Monitoring at Mote (CFEMM), carrying cameras on vessels to collect data and participate in cooperative research. The team at CFEMM collects and reviews the data that comes from fishing vessels, synthesizes it, and shares it with the captains of the vessels.

Why is EM Imporant?

Commercial fishermen already provide a significant amount of information to scientists and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) about where they fish and what they catch. They report the amount of fish they bring to the dock through trip tickets and logbooks. They also notify NMFS when they go fishing and where they fish by carrying vessel monitoring systems (VMS).

Additionally, if randomly selected, fishing vessels must take observers—independent data collectors who record what the fishermen catch, how much they throw overboard, and other important information. However, currently, only a small portion of the fleet is selected to carry observers, meaning observer data can have high levels of uncertainty, and extrapolation of observer data may not accurately reflect reality on the water.

EM can be used to gather more information, more quickly, and from more vessels than can carry observers. EM data can also supplement the information used by NMFS in stock assessments, making fishermen an active part of the scientific process.

Voluntary Electronic Monitoring

What is Electronic Monitoring (EM)?

Why is EM Imporant?

What kind of questions can EM answer?

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