Strategic Plan for Electronic Monitoring and Electronic Reporting in the North Pacific

The strategic planning process requires collaboration and support by all parties affected by the plan and those who must contribute to make the plan a success. The first step in the strategic planning process was presentation of an outline of the strategic planning document to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in April 2013. Strategic planning also requires clear identification of goals and objectives before specific action items are identified, and thorough and accurate information about resource requirements and constraints. As the next step in the strategic planning process, the plan was presented to the Council in June 2013. The Council adopted the plan as a guidance document for incorporating Electronic Monitoring (EM) into the Observer Program. In addition, the Council recommended use of a catch estimation approach to develop EM for the halibut and sablefish fisheries. Finally, the Council created an EM Workgroup that will be formed in the fall of 2013. The EM Workgroup will identify EM performance standards, operational procedures, and sampling and deployment plans appropriate for IFQ vessels. The EM Workgroup will also look at implementation vehicles and potential phase-in approaches. The Council recommended that the EM Workgroup use the following sections of the strategic plan to focus its efforts to develop a catch estimation based program for the IFQ fisheries:

• Goal II, Objective 1, Strategy C
• Goal III, Objective 1, Strategy A