Electronic Monitoring Cost Recovery Model for Pacific Island Fisheries PNA

PNA Office - Project Dates:
December 2018 - May 2020

Description of Project:
Poseidon completed a cost assessment and cost benefit analysis for a role out of an electronic monitoring programme for longline fisheries operating in the EEZs of 9 Pacific Island countries (PNA). The model identies all the key costs - EM hardware, infrastructure, data viewing and commuications, provider support and analysis, and covers both the use of imagery to identify catch and bycatch species, and compliance risks. The model is generic and relies on country managers to input specific components - fleet size, effort, target reviews, complaince risks and domestic salary scales. The model allows managers to select which cost components it is looking to recover. The model is used partly as a tool to identify all costs, but also to identify particular costs that may warrant a reflection in process and has identified specific issues that need to be addressed before full cost recovery role out - streamlining data priorities to allow for efficient use of data reviewing time, provider and software costs, hardrive and communication issues.

The benefit component of the study focusses on the contribution of improved data for stock assessments and fisheries management, the transfer of compliance risks to a realisation of improved rents and the market value associated with the fisheries sustainability criteria.