Fully documented fishery: a tool to support a catch quota management system

The Danish Government has proposed a catch quota management system (CQMS) in which fishers are obliged to report their total catches, including discards and landings, and both are counted against the formal total allowable catch (TAC). The success of a CQMS requires appropriate documentation to verify the total catch, the validity of scientific advice, and the implementation of the TACs through national catch quotas. A remote electronic monitoring (EM) system, providing full documentation of fishing operations and catches, was tested on six Danish fishing vessels operating under a CQMS for cod (Gadus morhua). The results showed that the EM system could provide the documentation required to support the CQMS and that it was an incentive for the participating fishers to avoid discarding cod. Changing from landings to total catch quotas would not affect the scientific-advisory processes of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), but it could have notable consequences for the allocation of TACs between countries.