The “Strategies, technologies, and social solutions to manage bycatch in tropical Large Marine Ecosystem Fisheries (REBYC-III CLME+)” project has purchased five electronic monitoring (EM) units from Shellcatch Inc. as part of  The units will be used to support the Barbados Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy’s Sustainable Fisheries Management and Development Regulations which was enacted in 2024.

These specific onboard camera units were selected after an assessment of Barbados’ existing EM systems. It was found that Shellcatch units were best suited to Barbados’ local context.

Additionally, the units are cost effective, have increased functionality for bycatch detection and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered analytical platform is quite advanced, which facilitates alerts when suspicious activity is detected. The units and platform are well equipped to detect minimum sizes of specific fish species to support compliance with national and international regulations, support monitoring of the use of the “down the line” longline cutters. It also facilitates the electronic logging of catch data in its E-LOG feature.

These five units are a demonstration pilot to engage longline boatowners, captains and crew and will be installed on vessels with Starlink satellite internet to facilitate real time monitoring.

During the pilot, the Barbados Fisheries Division will continue discussions on cost sharing between the Government and longline boat owners, as well as formalise the agreement in letters of intent. Subscription costs beyond the lifetime of the project will be built into the annual operating expenses of the Barbados Fisheries Division to support the sustainability of a comprehensive Fisheries Information System.

The purchase of these EM units is facilitated under Component I of the REBYC-III project, specifically outcome 1.2 – Effective mitigation measures to reduce adverse fisheries impacts on Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species implemented in CLME+ target fisheries.

The REBYC-III CLME+ projectis a USD5.3 million project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and executed by FFA, UWI.

It is being implemented over a 48-month period in Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, and TT. The objective of the REBYC-III CLME+ project, is to manage bycatch and reduce discards in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+) thereby promoting sustainable and responsible fisheries that provide economic opportunities while ensuring the conservation of marine living resources, and in doing so support country implementation of the CLME+ Strategic Action Plan.

View image gallery here.