Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) systems are being tried out this summer in five priority UK fisheries, to be followed by a rollout of a revised discards policy for English fisheries next year.
According to DEFRA, this revised approach to managing discards will be adopted in England, with changes to be made to better account for catches. From 2025, landings and discards will both be counted against quota allocations, and the amount of quota used to cover discards will vary and will depend on the type of vessel and gear types used.
Alongside this, discard reduction schemes are planned to identify ways to reduce unwanted catch in the first instance.
‘Working collaboratively with regulators and the industry, the schemes will identify and resolve barriers to improved gears being used,’ Defra states.
Volunteer vessels within five priority fisheries will begin to use REM systems from this summer, with this work aimed at refining the UK’s monitoring objectives and to ensure that the technology works. As monitoring objectives are finalised and the REM systems are demonstrated to be working well, REM systems will become mandatory for all vessels in those fisheries – including non-UK vessels.
‘By harnessing this technology, we can sustainably manage our fish stocks, to benefit the industry, future generations, and our marine environment,’ said UK Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer.
