United Catcher Boats Seeks Exempted Fishing Permit to Evaluate Electronic Monitoring Systems in Alaska Fisheries

Summary

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has received an application from United Catcher Boats to issue an exempted fishing permit (EFP) for pollock catcher vessels using pelagic trawl gear in the eastern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, with the goal of testing electronic monitoring systems as a cost-effective alternative to traditional observer programs for monitoring vessel compliance with catch and discard regulations.