16 February 2022
The installation of the Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) equipment aboard the fishing vessel John Melliss is now complete. Fisheries Development Manager from the Future Fisheries Team in the UK Marine Management Organisation, Martin Arris, worked with local Electrical Engineer, Carlos Yon, to install the cameras and other equipment aboard the vessel.
The system is entirely separate from the vessel electronics and is powered by a solar panel situated on the wheelhouse roof. This will allow the vessel to spend long periods drifting without the system draining the vessel batteries.
The two-camera system provides an overview of the fishing area and a high quality view of the engine cover. Fish will be placed on the engine cover prior to them being put into the fish hold. This will allow the system to identify the species and size of any fish being retained.
The monitoring equipment also includes a GPS receiver and a weather station and will gather the following information:
- GPS coordinates for fishing events
- Apparent wind speed and angle
- Theoretical wind speed and direction
- Air temperature
- Wind chill temperature
- Barometric pressure
- 3D magnetic compass heading
- Heading relative to true North
- Rate of turn
- Angle of pitch and roll
- Rate of pitch and roll.
The equipment and installation has been made possible through Blue Belt Programme funding and will be trialled over the coming months to see how it can help the Environment, Natural Resources & Planning Portfolio monitor fishing operations, and help St Helena meet its international obligations as a member of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
#StHelena #JohnMelliss #Fishing #BlueBelt #ICCAT
SHG
16 February 2022