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This paper looks at the implementation of electronic data collection system introduced to monitor artisanal tuna fishery data collection and reporting. The objective of developing the system was to improve artisanal data collection and reporting in Kenya. The Kenya Fisheries Service in collaboration with County governments and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) initiated a six-month pilot study from June to December 2018. Thirteen (13) landing sites were selected in three (3) different riparian counties from the overall catch assessment survey sites with tuna volumes landed at each site as one of the secondary criteria. Twenty six (26) data collections, two from each landing site, drawn from the Beach Management Units (BMUs) Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) and County fisheries staff. Training was conducted to the data recorders included sampling techniques, species identification and the use of the mobile application to collect and submit the data to the central database.
A standardized data collection protocol was used and uploaded to the mobile application. Overall catch and effort and length data for individual tuna species has been collected for a period of three (3) months and currently in the process of analysis. Weights for species group/family or individual species weight(kg) was measured using electronic weighing balances to the nearest (0.1g) for small individuals while lengths taken using measuring boards. Each landing site was given one a mobile phone and data recording hard books. A synopsis on the current status of implementation indicate improvement in data recording and reporting but still some challenges especially on species identification, data capture and its integration to the overall database.
