Ecatch – Technology for Collaborative Fisheries Management

In Central California, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has purchased and subsequently leased federal groundfish permits to fishermen.  These leases are structured to test how specific changes to traditional groundfish harvest can improve economic and conservation performance of the local fleet, thereby benefiting local fishing communities who have witnessed declines in groundfish landings.  In order to monitor these leases and efficiently report to NMFS, TNC collects information on fishing locations, amount, and species caught using its permits.  To maintain these data and ensure their integrity and efficiency, TNC developed a web based application called eCatch that centralizes spatial and tabular information associated with fishing activity. By taking what was traditionally paper data and placing it on the web, participants in the fishery are able to gauge performance, identify spatial behaviors that can improve catch and minimize by-catch, and monitor regulatory limits on the fishery. This project demonstrates how co-management of a local fishery can be enhanced by technology and providing ready access to digital information.