It is a universally acknowledged truth that long-term sustainability in American and global fisheries is the only path to success for fishermen, scientists, environmentalists, regulators, policy makers, and everyday enthusiasts. Navigating the turbulent waters to achieve that sustainability is where the questions come in.
At about 5:00 am fishers Jose Chaar and Papote Santana, like nearly all of the small-scale commercial operators that make up 90% of the world's fishers, depart from the dock to search for fish they can catch and sell locally. As they have done for years, Jose and Papote spend his days on the ocean off the coast of Puerto Rico looking for tuna and swordfish to support themselves and their families.
As a film storyteller, I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of incredible companies, broadcasters, NGOs, governments, and nonprofits using their gifts and influence to inspire positive behaviour shifts. One of the firms that I am inspired by is Council Fire, a global management consultancy and Certified B Corporation that helps purpose-driven organizations thrive by creating lasting economic, social, and environmental value.
In our consumer lives, we expect technology to be easy, accessible, and satisfying. Billions of dollars and millions of hours have gone into business websites and apps that make it feel like they were designed just for us - seamlessly answering our questions, filling in information, and delivering just the product we want when we want it. Government tech has not always kept up with those expectations. Without the budgets and staff of the private sector, and with a mandate to serve everyone (including people with dial-up modems and flip phones), user experience can fall behind just keeping up with day-to-day management tasks.
It has been just over twenty years since the first electronic monitoring (EM) trial was implemented in a British Columbia crab fishery in 1999. A few years later a pilot to monitor halibut effort in an Alaska longline fishery was initiated. The buzz caught on and in 2003 the first EM pilot launched in New Zealand, to monitor seabird interactions with gill nets. Two more years down the road and the first trial geared towards monitoring bycatch was launched in Australia. Fast forward nearly two decades and there are now tons of pilots and full-scale electronic monitoring - and reporting - (EMR) programs in various stages of operation around the world, with these countries still very much at the forefront of progress.
