Remote Electronic Monitoring

Verified and timely catch data are essential to securing the long-term sustainability of European fisheries. If used correctly, they can deliver stock assessments, inform catch quotas, and determine the conservation risk of protected species. However, the majority of fisheries dependent data continues to be sub-optimal and vulnerable to widespread misrecording informing management decisions which fail to properly address declining fish stocks, continued non-compliance with the landing obligation, and unprecedented levels of sensitive species bycatch.

We therefore recommend that the introduction of Remote Electronic Monitoring (including cameras) looks beyond ensuring compliance with the landing obligation. Doing so would provide a mechanism for logbook verification which ensures that the EU’s management decisions reflect the best available scientific advice. To facilitate this broader objective, we would expect the revised Control Regulation to mandate Remote Electronic Monitoring (including cameras) on board all vessels over twelve metres, alongside an additional percentage of small-scale vessels that are at a high risk of breaching the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy.

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