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February 9, 2015
Fishermen on the EM workgroup will use this input to negotiate details of the 2016
pre-implementation deployment. You can call or e-mail your suggestions, ideas or
concerns to any of the industry members listed at the end of this report.
There are important operational patters in the 40 to 57.5 LOA fleet and costs
associated with an EM program that influence effective EM deployment on this
pool of vessels. First, more than 70% of these vessels fish less than three trips
per year, about 16% make 4 to 6 trips per year, and only 15% spent more than 30
days at sea per year. Second, the seasonal pattern of the fleet is diverse, with
some vessels consistently fishing during the same months each year, and others
fishing split seasons or at different times each year.
Based on these facts, 100% EM coverage, with each vessel having a dedicated EM
system, would be very costly. A more cost effective approach would be to select a
portion of the EM pool to carry EM systems for a set period of time during the
season. EM workgroup members suggested that NMFS randomly select a
percentage of vessels (12% to 30%?) in the EM pool in each calendar quarter to
carry EM systems on all trips during a 3 month period. The Councils Science and
Statistical Committee (SSC) has noted that to make a selection program like this
work, vessels opting-into the EM pool would need to pre-register their anticipated
fishing schedule so the pool of boats in any calendar quarter is defined. To avoid
gaming the system, vessels fishing outside of their pre-registered window would
be automatically selected to carry EM systems or observers.
A final consideration is the percentage of vessels fishing in each quarter that
should be selected to carry EM systems. Factors to consider are fairness, costs,
and impacts associated with poor quality data. Currently small vessels are
selected at a 12% rate and larger vessels are selected at a 24% rate (on a trip by
trip basis). The Council has been increasing the selection rate on small vessels as
the observer program becomes established, and may increase this pressure once
an EM alternative is available. The analysis in support of restructuring the
observer program used 30% coverage as a bench mark for all sectors. Fixed gear
industry members have been advocating that any cost savings should be used to
increase observer coverage on trawl vessels first. However, it is also important to
consider the effect of low coverage rates on our own sector. Catch data shows
that in 2013 observers on sablefish vessels documented 10 albatross takes.
Because of low coverage levels, this number was expanded to attribute more than
360 albatross taken by the whole fleet, and has focused renewed attention on
measures to account for seabird interactions.
Fishermen on the EM workgroup would appreciate your feedback and
suggestions on:
installing the hydraulic oil pressure and engine oil pressure sensors with
the assistance of the EM technician.
EM System Maintenance
o Onboard PowerThe EM systems that will be used in 2016 can
accommodate DC power from 12-32 volts, or use AC power from an
inverter or gen set. It will likely be the vessel owners responsibility
to work with the EM technician to identify a stable power supply and
maintain power to the EM system at all times when underway. To
avoid battery drain, the engine oil pressure sensor places the system
into sleep mode when the engine is off.
o Function checkIt will likely be the vessel owners responsibility to
ensure the EM system is functioning at the start of a trip. The EM
systems that will be used have a function check procedure which
runs a short diagnostic on each sensor and camera. The function
check only takes a few minutes. The vessel operator will be required
to run the function check and validate that the diagnostic readings
displayed are consistent with those written on the vessel monitoring
plan. If a problem is encountered the vessel operator will be required
to contact technical support and follow reasonable steps to fix the
problem.
o Equipment breakdownA vessels responsibilities in the event of an
EM system malfunction while at sea will be a very important
consideration. EM workgroup members are currently advocating that
if the system passes the function check prior to leaving port, and
remains continuously powered during the trip, the operator would
NOT need to return to port in the event of a breakdown. Human
observers get sea sick and miss the occasional set EM systems should
be treated similarly. Requiring a higher standard such as 100%
reliability for EM systems could impose significant costs. However, to
avoid repeat problems and gamming the system, a vessel score card
will likely be an important part of the overall program. On the score
card, if a vessel has repeat problems with EM system reliability or
video quality, that vessel may be removed from the EM pool for a
period of time and placed in the human observer pool.
o Video qualityKeeping the camera lenses clean is critical to achieve
the species identification needed for management purposes. The EM
systems include a small monitor in the wheelhouse that displays the
camera images. The vessel operator will be required to check the
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monitor before each set and to wipe water and slime off the camera
lenses to maintain high video quality.
o First Trip Quality Control ReviewExperience has shown that a
short visit by the EM technician after the first trip to review the
system performance and night lighting conditions is the most
effective way to fix problems and achieve success. Operators of
vessels selected for EM coverage will be strongly encouraged to make
their first landing at an EM service port to allow for a quality control
visit.
Catch handling
o Discard control points--The primary management objective for
deploying EM systems is to document discards at sea. To achieve
this, the vessel operator will be responsible for ensuring all catch is
handled within view of the cameras. A typical EM set-up has one or
two cameras outboard of the rail to view any drop-offs and discards at
the roller. Discards of fish after they are brought onboard must occur
in view of these cameras as well. The EM systems will continue
recording for up to 2 hours after the hydraulics have been shut off to
record any discards during clean-up. A deck camera is used to ensure
that all discards are done in view of the rail cameras.
o SeabirdsThe 2013 incidental take of albatross in the sablefish
fishery has renewed attention on deployment of seabird streamer
lines while setting. As a result, it is likely that an additional camera
will be installed to determine if a seabird streamer line was used
during setting. The camera will be able to determine
presence/absence of the streamer line and not likely be able to
determine performance standards such as streamer spacing or
distance behind the vessel.
Extended presentationVessel operators will also likely be
required to hold some difficult-to-identify species, such as
incidentally caught seabirds, up to the camera for 2-3 seconds,
and to ensure that certain key parts of the animal, such as the
beak, are captured by the cameras.
spacing, skate length, and the number of skates on each set. They will not
be required to estimate weight of discards.
Conclusion:
With your help, industry members on the EM workgroup will try to ensure elements
of the program are the right fit for our industry. Please consider the decision points
described above and provide your feedback to any of the contacts listed below.
Thank you! We look forward to hearing from you.
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