HARWICH, Massachusetts – A commercial fishing association says a group of fishermen from Massachusetts and Maine will use digital cameras instead of human monitors to collect data during trips at sea.

Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance says up to 20 fishermen who catch groundfish such as cod and flounder will use the cameras in a first-time program.

The fishermen are required to bring monitors on some fishing trips. Many fishermen say the cost of human monitors is prohibitive.

The electronic monitoring systems use cameras to record fish handling on deck. That will allow for some fish to be identified and measured before they are discarded.

The hard drives are later sent to third-party reviewers who watch the footage and count the number of discarded fish. That will allow regulators to use the information.


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