Caitlin Luderer Monitors Fisheries in Woods Hole, MA
Project
Description:
This summer, I was hired by the Cape Cod Commerical Hook Fishermen’s Association as their policy intern. My main task will be to evaluate the effectiveness of the fishery monitoring program for the newly formed fixed gear sector. I will be an observer aboard these fishing vessels, collecting information on gear compliance, bycatch, and amount of the target species caught (which is cod). I will write a case study report that compares this type of on-board monitoring to other types of fishery monitoring, and make recommendations for how these programs can be improved at both the regulatory level and the community level.
I feel honored to be working at the CCCHFA this summer because I admire their commitment to creating sustainable fisheries that also consider impacts on the fishing community. The CCCHFA has many exciting ongoing projects (from campaigning against mid water herring trawlers to creating a non-profit to support women of fishing families) and I hope to get experience with a little bit of everything while I am there this summer.