E-monitoring Factsheet

Accurate, unbiased reporting is critical to evaluating the effectiveness of bycatch mitigation measures. Increasingly, both industry and managers of commercial fisheries have turned to CCTV–based electronic monitoring (EM) as a cost-effective alternative to at-sea observers. While automatically monitoring fishing activity, EM systems can also help review protected species interactions and evaluate the effectiveness of bycatch mitigation efforts. An electronic monitoring program uses a system of video cameras, gear sensors, and GPS mapping technology to create a clear and accurate profile of a vessel’s fishing activity at sea. It is commonly used on commercial fishing vessels operating a variety of fishing gear.
Electronic monitoring is an effective tool for monitoring the effective use of many of the mitigation measures that have been recommended by ACAP to reduce the incidental mortality of seabirds in demersal and pelagic long-line and trawl fisheries.
As an affordable, non-intrusive monitoring tool, electronic monitoring offers a versatile alternative for fisheries and industry regulators to help verify self-reported data and promote responsible fisheries management at sea.
Recommendations
The Seabird Bycatch Working Group is requested to:
1. Review the proposed fact-sheet on electronic monitoring; and
2. Endorse its publication as a bycatch mitigation fact-sheet.