Publication Date:
2011-11-24
Description:
Stanley, R. D., McElderry, H., Mawani, T., and Koolman, J. 2011. The advantages of an audit over a census approach to the review of video imagery in fishery monitoring. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 1621–1627. Technology-based fishery monitoring, or electronic monitoring (EM), has emerged as an alternative to human observers and is being applied in a variety of fisheries. The method records sensor and image data from fishing operations, so can be used to provide 100% monitoring of catches and fishing activity. Alternatively, EM can be used to audit catch data self-reported by harvesters. If the random audit indicates that these data are sufficiently accurate, they can provide useful catch estimates with less reviewing time and, hence, cost. The audit approach was adopted in the groundfish hook-and-line fishery in British Columbia, Canada, in 2006, and experience has shown that it can meet operational requirements for accuracy and timeliness. It is also more robust to the impact of equipment malfunction and can provide an independent estimate of total catch. Moreover, because catch estimates are derived from self-reported data rather than "black-box" records, the estimation process is more transparent and intuitive and, hence, more trusted by harvesters. Although cost reduction is always a primary concern, the audit approach offers significant additional benefits that should be considered in the design and implementation of EM programmes.
Print ISSN:
1054-3139
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9289
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
,
Physics
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