Coonamessett Farm Foundation's mission is to conduct scientific research and educational projects that support sustainable fisheries operations, local small-scale agriculture and aquaculture, and renewable energy sources for the benefit of the public.
A First Look at Electronic Monitoring
A New Way to Monitor the Sea Scallop Fishery
Fisheries managers rely on industry-funded observers to collect data from the sea scallop fishery, but coverage rates have historically been limited, data quality can vary, and deploying observers requires time and cost at sea. So what if there was another way to collect similar data?
In this short film, CFF Research Biologist and EM Project Lead, Andrew Corso introduces electronic monitoring (EM), a system that uses onboard video cameras to virtually monitor fishing trips and create reviewable data. While EM is already used in fisheries globally, it has not been systematically tested in the U.S. sea scallop fishery - until now.
In 2024, the Coonamessett Farm Foundation and Salt Water Inc. launched a two-year pilot program, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to evaluate EM as a tool for data collection and management. The project includes six commercial vessels from New Bedford, Massachusetts; Barnegat Light, New Jersey; and Cape May, New Jersey, making it a cross-regional effort within the fishery. To date, the program has recorded over 62 fishing trips, totaling more than 530 days at sea, and reviewed footage from over 5,000 hauls.
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These data and related items of information have not been formally disseminated by NOAA, and do not represent any agency determination, view, or policy.
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