Scottish Inshore Fisheries Integrated Data System (SIFIDS): work package (2) final report WP2A: development and pilot deployment of a prototypic autonomous fisheries data harvesting system, and WP2B: investigation into the availability and adaptability of novel technological approaches to data collection

Abstract

[Extract from Executive Summary] To enhance sustainability and foster resilience within Scotland’s inshore fishing communities an effective system of collecting and sharing relevant data is required. To support business decisions made by vessel owners as well as informing fisheries managers and those involved in marine planning it will be vital to collect a range of information which will provide a robust understanding of fishing activity, the economic value of the sector and its importance within local communities.

The SIFIDS Project was conceived to assist in attaining these goals by working alongside fishers to develop and test technology to automatically collect and collate data on board vessels, thereby reducing the reporting burden on fishers. The project built upon previous research funded through the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and was designed to deliver a step change in the way that inshore fisheries in Scotland could be managed in cooperation with the industry. The project focussed on inshore fishing vessels around Scotland, where spatio-temporal information on the distribution of vessels and associated fishing effort is data deficient.

The whole project was broken down into 12 highly integrated work packages. This is the integrated report for work packages 2A and 2B, entitled’ Development and Pilot Deployment of a Prototypic Autonomous Fisheries Data Harvesting System’ (2A) and ‘Investigation into the Availability and Adaptability of Novel Technological Approaches to Data Collection’ (2B).