Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM): child rights and wellbeing impact assessment - draft

CRWIA Stage 1 – Screening

Brief Summary (Guidance Section 2.1)

Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) policy sits within the context of Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy, which was published in December 2020. The REM Policy is designed to provide assurance that fishers are complying with existing fishing legislation and will not affect those who are compliant, only those who demonstrate breaches of the law.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving how we monitor the fishing activity of certain types of fishing vessels. In Spring/Summer 2022, we consulted on the requirement to introduce mandatory use of REM on board scallop dredge and large pelagic vessels (12m and over in length). REM for these vessels will consist of cameras, winch sensors and vessel positioning systems (to provide locational data on fishing activity).

Data generated from using REM technology on scallop dredge and pelagic fishing vessels will provide greater insight into where fishing operations take place and improve the evidence base on which decisions are taken by the Scottish Government and other public authorities, thereby promoting sustainable development.

The technology is being used to independently monitor fishing activity at sea to help fulfil the Marine Directorate’s obligations, as the authority responsible for the integrated management of Scotland’s seas. The technology is not used to monitor or identify any people, regardless of age.

Start date of relevant proposal: March 2024

Start date of CRWIA process: November 2023.

Which aspects of the relevant proposal currently affects or will affect children and young people up to the age of 18? (Guidance Section 2.1)

It has been deemed that the REM SSI will not have any direct or indirect effects on children and young people up to the age of 18, the technology is being used to monitor fishing operations, not people. The fishing industry itself consists of a largely middle-age and male dominated workforce. The SSI will not impact this workforce as their work should not change, the purpose is simply to monitor the locations of fishing vessels and ensure compliance with existing laws.

Which groups of children and young people are currently or will be affected by the relevant proposal? (Guidance Section 2.1)

The REM SSI will not have any effect, direct or indirect, on any group of children and young people, the technology will support wider policy development and decision making, provision of scientific advice and the work of enforcement officers.