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Developing EM for trawl fisheries off Alaska »

NPFMC pleased with first steps of EM development for trawl catcher vessels in the North Pacific

At their meeting in Kodiak during June, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) received its first report from their new trawl Electronic Monitoring (EM) Workgroup. The EM Workgroup was reconstituted this April, to reflect a shift in focus from implementing EM on fixed gear vessels to developing EM on trawl catcher vessels in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.

The group was also renamed the ‘ EM Committee .’

To guide development of an EM program for trawl catcher vessels, the NPFMC adopted preliminary trawl EM objectives focused on:

Over time, trawl EM… Read More »

NOAA Issues Final Rule: Integrating Electronic Monitoring Into the North Pacific Observer Program »

This final rule establishes a process for owners or operators of vessels using nontrawl gear to request to participate in the EM selection pool and the requirements for vessel owners or operators while in the EM selection pool. This action is necessary to improve the collection of data needed for the conservation, management, and scientific understanding of managed fisheries. Amendments 114/104 are intended to promote the goals and objectives of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the FMPs, and other applicable laws.

Download rule from Federal Register

EM Progress in the Alaska Pot Cod Fishery »

Thanks to Nancy Munro and Abigail Turner of Saltwater, Inc. for sharing their comprehensive update on EM in the Alaska pot cod fishery. Please find it here .

EM arrives in Alaska – 2018 to be the year of change »

We just posted a good piece by Laine Welch about the changes coming to Alaska’s longline and pot fisheries. Read it right here .

New EM program summary posted »

We just posted (November, 2016) a new EM summary on the North Pacific / Alaska Region page .

Overview of the Small Boat / Longline EM program »

We just posted an overview of the Small Boat/Longline EM program. Thanks to Dan Falvey and Chris Rilling! Please view it here .

Strategic Plan for Electronic Monitoring and Electronic Reporting in the North Pacific »

Please download the strategic plan here (PDF)

This 59-page report was published in April, 2014.

A brief excerpt from the introduction:

We live in a world of great technological advances, many of which are applicable to fisheries monitoring issues, and some that are already in use to support fisheries management in the North Pacific. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) have been on a path of integrating technology into our fisheries monitoring program for many years: we have advanced Electronic Reporting (ER) systems in place for logbook and observer information; we have implemented a variety of monitoring tools like motion-compensated flow scales and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS); and have integrated video monitoring into several fisheries in… Read More »

2016 will be eventful year for Alaska EM »

Key Takeaway: The North Pacific Fishery Management Council has identified 2016 as an initial implementation year for EM for the small boat fixed gear fleet, focusing on putting cameras on those boats that have difficulty taking an observer. These are primarily pot and longline vessels.

Electronic Monitoring Workgroup Meeting Update

At its September 2014 meeting, the Electronic Monitoring Working Group (EMWG) addressed a broad range of substantive issues including: