Effectiveness of shore‐based remote camera monitoring for quantifying recreational fisher compliance in marine conservation areas

Abstract Marine conservation areas require high levels of compliance to meet conservation objectives, yet little research has assessed compliance quantitatively, especially for recreational fishers. Recreational fishers take 12% of global annual fish catches. With millions of people fishing from small boats, this fishing sector is hard to monitor, making accurate quantification of non‐compliance an urgent research priority. Shore‐based remote camera monitoring was tested for quantifying recreational non‐compliance in near‐shore, coastal rockfish conservation areas (RCAs) in the Salish Sea, Canada. Six high definition trail cameras were used to monitor 42 locations between July and August 2014. Seventy‐nine percent of monitored conservation area sites showed confirmed or probable fishing activity, with no significant difference in fishing effort inside and outside RCAs. Mixed effects generalized linear models were used to test environmental and geographic factors influencing compliance. Sites with greater depth had significantly higher fishing effort, which may imply high, barotrauma‐induced, rockfish mortality in RCA sites. Non‐compliance estimates were similar to aerial fly‐over compliance data from 2011, suggesting that trail camera monitoring may be an accurate and affordable alternative method of assessing non‐compliance in coastal conservation areas, especially for community‐based organizations wishing to monitor local waters. Widespread non‐compliance could compromise the ability of RCAs to protect and rebuild rockfish populations. Increased education, signage, and enforcement is likely to improve compliance.