The Australia Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) electronic monitoring (e-monitoring) program is a first of its kind for fisheries management in the Asia-Pacific and as such continues to gain interest from our fisheries counterparts.
Speaking at the first meeting of the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement (SIOFA) Scientific Committee on 21-24 March in Fremantle, Western Australia, Senior Fisheries Manager Officer Ryan Keightley outlined how AFMA’s e-monitoring program is a cost effective method of data collection and logbook verification that is improving the accuracy and reliability of data for Australia’s Commonwealth commercial fisheries.
SIOFA is a multilateral treaty for the conservation and management of Southern Indian Ocean fisheries to ensure they remain a sustainable, shared resource into the future. It governs fish stocks like orange roughy, alfonsino and rubyfish that are found in the southern Indian Ocean. It also has responsibility for managing the broader impacts of fishing on the marine environment and biodiversity in the region.
A map of the area of SIOFA fisheries (source: www.afma.gov.au)
There was widespread agreement from member countries that e-monitoring could be used to complement an observer program and strengthen monitoring in the Southern Indian Ocean. The inclusion of e-monitoring as a potential data collection tool will be further discussed at the upcoming Meeting of the Parties to be held in La Réunion later this year.
Acting Executive Manager of Fisheries Management, George Day said that the level of interest from Asia-Pacific countries in e-monitoring was a testimony to its use in fishing management now and into the future.
“Its great news that more countries are looking at innovative technologies such as e-monitoring to help with the sustainable management of fisheries,” Mr Day said.
“We will continue to work with our international counterparts to share Australia’s experience with the latest in science and innovation to improve fisheries management across the globe.”
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Cook Islands, the European Union, France (in respect of its territories), Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. The meeting was Chaired by Australia’s Dr Ilona Stobutzki and the Australian delegation included representatives from AFMA, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.
For more information about AFMA’s e-monitoring program, visit afma.gov.au.
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