Electronic Monitoring Data & the Federal Record

Fishing for Data – Episode 1
The privacy and data confidentiality concerns of fishing interests remain a key challenge facing the adoption of Electronic Monitoring in U.S. fisheries. Video monitoring and electronic reporting on boats generates substantial data, which fishing interests worry could, for example, become a Federal Record and thus be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests and accessed by members of the public. This episode introduces various stakeholders to the basic structure of data access and confidentiality issues under relevant laws and regulations. Even more, in order to add clarity to questions about EM moving forward, this episode integrates some of the most recent guidance from NOAA about how the agency analyzes these important data issues.

Areas of Potential Secondary Data Usage (“Visual Bycatch”)

Fishing for Data – Episode 2
This episode looks at the perceived unintended, environmental, and non-environmental secondary uses of data that remains a real barrier in the uptake of EM technology by the fishing industry. As recent incidents have illustrated, video may serve other purposes to various stakeholders, as cameras aimed to monitor catch may record a crime that occurs onboard, information relevant to an insurance investigation, or even provide information relevant to a host of third parties not originally contemplated when adding EM technology to a vessel, thus potentially exposing themselves to potential inconvenience and even liability far beyond fisheries management and enforcement purposes.

Electronic Monitoring and the Magnuson-Stevens Act

Fishing for Data – Episode 3

This episode is the final part of the podcast series and explores electronic monitoring as a broad umbrella; meaning, that cameras can be combined with different sensors and used for a variety of purposes ranging from monitoring catch handling, catch quantity, catch composition, discards, ETP interactions, workplace safety etc. Melissa Garren and others explore how more use of technology, and moving toward a best-technology-available approach, would likely enhance efficiency in fishing and fisheries management, including the rise of the smart boat.

Live Q & A

Fishing for Data – Episode 4

This was the final wrap up Q&A session with hosts Duke Center for Law and Tech, the Net Gains Alliance, and EM4Fish, along with several of our expert panelists from the series; and explored many of the hot topics and pressing issues at the intersection of law and emerging technologies in support of better fisheries management. Transcripts and summaries of the three primary podcasts will be made available shortly on Duke's website, at EM4.fish, as well as right here on the NGA website.