Horizon Magazine · Climate & nature

Digital Tools Enhance European Fisheries Monitoring

Europe's fishing industry faces a data gap, hindering accurate stock assessment and management. A new EU-funded initiative, OptiFish, is developing digital tools to improve monitoring and provide a clearer picture of activities at sea.

Current methods, relying on limited onboard observers, capture only a fraction of fishing activity, leading to potential mistrust and arbitrary quota cuts. This data deficit extends to discards and unreported catches.

OptiFish combines AI, computer vision, and genetic analysis to create an integrated digital system. This initiative aims to automatically recognize fish species and enhance catch monitoring for sustainable management.

Mandatory electronic reporting and tracking are being implemented across EU vessels. However, digital reporting alone is insufficient without detailed data on species caught, location, and quantities.

The project is developing AI-powered camera systems to identify and count fish species, trained on extensive image datasets. These systems are being tested on various fishing operations.

Additionally, OptiFish is exploring environmental DNA (eDNA) to estimate fish biomass by sampling water. This method, combined with sensor data, provides a more holistic view.

By integrating manual sampling, camera data, and eDNA analysis, OptiFish aims to create a robust monitoring system. Pilot sites across different European regions are testing these technologies.

The initiative seeks to provide fishers with targeted strategies, simplify catch logging, and offer consumers transparent supply chains. It also aims to establish a data platform for AI monitoring.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.