Following many years of work from Peers on sustainable fisheries, the Government has announced that it will trial Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) technology in English waters, starting this summer in 5 priority fisheries, with mandatory REM to follow for all vessels. REM involves using a combination of cameras, sensors and GPS units to accurately record catches and to ensure that fish are not unlawfully discarded.
Peers pressed in the Fisheries Act 2020 and the Environment Act 2021 for REM to be used on all UK fishing vessels to support sustainable fisheries and stressed the benefits that it can bring through providing an improved scientific evidence base of the health of our fish stocks to inform quota setting, as well as being an effective enforcement tool and giving assurance to consumers of sustainability standards. In response to Peers' amendments, the Government committed to a consultation and the subsequent trial and mandatory roll out of REM is a welcome culmination of the process.
Making use of the REM technology will be a vital tool to effective future sustainable management of our fisheries helping to establish not only fish that are caught but the associated by-catch of marine mammals and sea-birds and Peers will no doubt be closely following the trials and subsequent wider roll out.
You can read further about the REM announcement here.
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