AFMA monitors and collects information about fishing in order to make informed management decisions so that there is plenty of seafood for Australians to enjoy now and into the future.
Electronic monitoring, known as e-monitoring, uses sensors and cameras to gather information about fishing activity. Rolled out across four Commonwealth fisheries two years ago, e-monitoring is one of the new and innovative ways that AFMA is collecting fishing information. The program monitors the Eastern and Western Tuna fisheries, the Gillnet and Hook fishery and the Small Pelagic Fishery.
With over 280 cameras installed on 75 fishing boats to record what fish are being caught and where the boats are fishing, e-monitoring provides important information about the state of Commonwealth fisheries. Feedback is also provided to fishers about how accurate their logbook reports are in comparison to the footage and where improvements can be made. This leads to improved data, enabling AFMA to make better management decisions and improve compliance. It is also another way for industry to assure consumers that their seafood is sustainable.
At the forefront of this new technology, AFMA is working with our neighbouring Pacific Islands to share our knowledge and experience of e-monitoring, supporting improved global fisheries management. Images from the program will also support FishFace, a new project by The Nature Conservancy which aims to use facial recognition technology to automate the collection, at sea, of information on the species and numbers of fish caught in commercial fisheries all over the world. Find out more about FishFace at natureaustralia.org.au.
Lovers of Australian seafood can feel confident that e-monitoring is another tool that AFMA uses to ensure that eating seafood from Commonwealth fisheries means eating sustainable seafood.
For more information on e-monitoring, visit afma.gov.au.