WGOA Trawl EM Project

Since 2019, the NRD has supported the piloting and implementation of electronic monitoring (EM) in the WGOA pollock trawl fleet. The AEB was awarded $531,216.56 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for a two-year grant (2020-2021) to fully implement EM across the fleet, and also served as a Principal Investigator on the Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) testing the EM program. The EFP will last from 2020-2023; the NPFMC will conduct regulatory analysis through 2023 with full regulated implementation expected by 2024. The AEB submitted a final grant application to NFWF in June 2021 to support the project through completion in 2024. This final application also included a sub-project to test the use of EM systems on multi-gear vessels, and to investigate alternative catch handling methods for pot vessels.