Evaluation of Electronic Monitoring Pre-implementation in the Hawaiʻi-based Longline Fisheries

To evaluate the efficacy of EM as a monitoring tool, 18 systems were installed on Hawaiʻi longline vessels for this pre-implementation study. These EM systems included video cameras to capture footage for fish and protected species (sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals) identification, global positioning systems (GPS) for fishing location, and fishing gear sensors that help detect catch events (i.e., reel rotation, hydraulic pressure, and vessel speed generally decline when large fish are brought aboard) and trigger video cameras to record during gear retrieval.