The pacific states marine fisheries commission will provide $2,000,000 in funding to support vessels with existing electronic monitoring systems as well as gear up new vessels to participate in the…

The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) will receive $4,000,000 under a Cooperative Agreement award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Congressionally Identified Awards and Projects program (CFDA 11.469) to support the expansion and continuation of an electronic monitoring program for commercial fishing vessels in Alaska. PSMFC will use the funding to provide $2,000,000 in sub-awards to existing hardware providers Archipelago Marine Research and Saltwater, Inc. to repair, replace, and install electronic monitoring systems on approximately 170 fixed gear and an additional 25-30 trawl and fixed gear vessels joining the program. The award period is from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2027.

The pacific states marine fisheries commission will provide $2,000,000 in funding to support vessels with existing electronic monitoring systems as well as gear up new vessels to participate in the electronic monitoring program. Psmfc expects to accomplish this through sub-contracts with the existing alaska hardware providers, archipelago marine research and saltwater, INC. Currently there are approximately 170 fixed gear vessels participating in this fishery. Many of the systems are approaching the useful end life of their hardware. This program would repair and replace system components as needed. In addition to existing vessels, between 25 and 30 new fixed gear vessels and between 25 and 30 new trawl vessels are expected to join the electronic monitoring program and those installations of new systems on vessels will be financially supported.