Two taiwanese flagged tuna longliners were fitted with video electronic monitoring systems in March before fishing in the Solomon Islands EEZ (exclusive economic zone) for a trip of almost 80 days.
View of the deck
The vessels then called into Suva, Fiji to offload their catch and resupply, allowing the opportunity to collect the data from the systems and make minor adjustments to the equipment before the vessels returned to the fishing grounds.
The electronic monitoring system, or ’e-monitoring’, installed onboard uses high-definition video cameras, GPS and a central unit to record all events and video footage. The main aim of the project is to investigate how e-monitoring works for collecting accurate information on the fishing activities of tuna longline fishing vessels.
Big brother is watching you
This information, including catch number and type, is critical in providing the best scientific, enforcement and management advice to ensure sustainable fishing. The e-monitoring data collected from these first trips is now being analysed by experienced longline fisheries observers.
The analysis will take twenty working days for each vessel. The ‘dry’ observers will record all aspects of the fishing activity, including identifying fishing locations, the catch composition, and the fate of any bycatch taken.
Tri Marine and NFD provide financial and logistical support to this project in partnership with the boat owner, FFA, SPC, MFMR, and ISSF.
The technology is provided by Satlink S.L. is a Spanish company that designs and develops products and solutions for the tuna industry and fisheries authorities using SeaTube, a powerful electronic observer system designed to record and monitor fishing activities aboard any vessel.
Original source here