Electronic Monitoring Services

Archipelago is the global leader in electronic monitoring (EM) products and services for fisheries and fishing-industry regulators. As part of an integrated EM program, Archipelago provides:

• EM services including assessment, program design and implementation, and program evaluation and reporting
• EM tools such as vessel-based monitoring systems, and data reviewing software
• Technical support and training

For more than a decade, Archipelago products have helped fisheries around the world to efficiently monitor and review their fleets’ fishing activity at sea. As a compact, automated solution, Archipelago EM systems can easily operate on fishing vessels where traditional alternatives (such as onboard observers) would be too costly or logistically challenging. Suitable for a broad range of catch and vessel types, Archipelago’s suite of EM tools are used to profile a wide variety of fishing activities, including:

• Sets and hauls
• Sorting, bycatch, and discards
• Fishing times and locations
• Protected-species interactions

Archipelago provides the tools and expertise to help fisheries plan, implement, and operate an efficient electronic monitoring program.

For more information, contact Archipelago.

Featured Programs

• BC Groundfish Longline Fisheries (full deployment)
• European Union (limited deployment)
• Tuna trial (proof of concept)

The EM Observe™ electronic monitoring system uses video cameras, gear sensors, and GPS to create an integrated profile of a vessel’s fishing activity at sea. An onboard control centre monitors all inputs, and logs relevant events and video footage for later review and verification.

The EM Record™ data logging software installed on the system automatically produces a detailed record of all key fishing operations including times, places, and equipment activity (for example, winches, pumps, and lifts), while providing the information to help identify specific catch details.

Once EM data has been collected at sea and stored on the control centre’s removable hard drive, it must be analyzed to interpret fishing activity information in accordance with the fishery’s program-specific monitoring objectives. When the fishing vessel returns to port, the hard drive is removed from the onboard control centre, and delivered to a review centre.

The EM data provides a comprehensive resource that can be viewed, analyzed, and archived as needed; although, with weeks or months of records to interpret, the task of reviewing data can present a challenge. To simplify this process, Archipelago developed the EM Interpret™ data analysis and reporting software.

EM Interpret™ integrates all GPS, sensor, and video data, and synchronizes these records along a single timeline for easy reference. Designed specifically to assist EM reviewers, this specialized software greatly reduces the time required to process and review fishing activity records.

For more information, contact Archipelago.