Developing a Successful Operational EM Program

Electronic Monitoring (EM) has been piloted since 1999 in numerous fisheries across a range of geographies, gears, catch profiles and monitoring objectives.  Despite often promising results, few fisheries have adopted EM.  In our view, this is because the expectation of EM being a simple replacement for an observer was incorrect.  Pilot studies have shown that EM is inherently different and much more complex than an observer program, with key differences being type of fishery data produced, technology dependencies, regulatory framework, incentive systems, program operational requirements (in particular field service and data analysis infrastructure), and vessel obligations to support EM and comply with onboard catch-handling protocols. 

A successful EM program is the result of an inclusive design process that optimizes data needs (quantity, quality, and timeliness) with the available funds, the fishery characteristics, the technology, and the operational requirements to support the deployment of EM.  In a given application, there may be multiple designs and a business planning approach must be used to evaluate risks, develop alternatives, and identify the most viable approaches within the planning constraints.  We draw from an Alaskan case study, highlighting both challenges and opportunities to facilitate more effective planning.