Agency To Award Grants To Help Fishing Industry Implement Electronic Monitoring

PORTLAND, Maine - An agency supported by the federal government says it's going to award up to $3.9 million in grants to help the commercial fishing industry implement electronic monitoring technology.
 
Many fishing vessels are subject to monitoring to make sure they comply with rules and to generate important data about commercial fishing. Human monitoring can be expensive and inefficient, and some fishing groups have called for electronic monitoring as a viable alternative.
 
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation says it plans to award grants that "catalyze the implementation of electronic technologies.'' It says the grant program will partner with fishermen, state agencies and others to integrate electronic monitoring into fisheries. The foundation says the program's goal is to improve the quality of data.
 
The foundation is collecting proposals until July 9.