The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) have decided to initiate full-scale trials of an innovative catch documentation system (eCDS) for onboard fisheries observers in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
WWF has said that it welcomes this decision. The new system uses near real-time data through Android tablets and satellite transmitters and is expected to substantially enhance the quality, reliability, and timeliness of critical fisheries information, and to considerably improve the management of tuna stocks.
The system includes electronic forms that can be used to cross reference and validate catch and effort, particularly with respect to the PNA Vessel Days at Sea Scheme (VDS), where vessel owners can purchase and trade days fishing at sea in places subject to PNA Agreement. It allows for near real-time management’ of the PNA skipjack tuna fishery. The PNA adopted the system following successful trials in member states’ Papua New Guinea and the Republic of the Marshall Islands with the aim to fully implement the technology in the PNA skipjack tuna fishery.
David Karis, the Enforcement Officer for the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority (NFA) said, We saw very early on that this system was the future of successful management in our fisheries and we currently have 88 fisheries observers trained and qualified to use the Integrated Fisheries Information Management System (iFIMS) tablet and Observer App.
The trials are being conducted in tandem with other electronic reporting and catch monitoring projects overseen by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), which is currently trialling electronic log sheets, coordinating a longline E-Monitoring project, and assisting member countries in building capacity in managing E-Reporting through the establishment of national E-Reporting officers.
It is believed that this system – designed by Quick Access Computing (QAC) Pty Ltd. with the PNA and SPC – will vastly improve the accuracy and timeliness of data available for managers and will seamlessly assimilate with other electronic platforms.
Mercator Media Ltd 2015