Introduction
The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) sets out new
responsibilities for coastal States regarding the use of resources in their
exclusive economic zones (EEZs). Those responsibilities, in many cases,
establish the need for both economic development and effective control of a
country's marine resources, including fisheries. States are committed to the
sustainable exploitation of fish stocks, through better management and
conservation of fisheries, ecosystem-based approaches such as marine protected
areas and reducing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
New information and new monitoring technologies are potential game changers
for fisheries management and can be of help in achieving green growth of the
sector. Application of new technologies has allowed governments to collect more
data on fish stocks, better monitor, enforce and evaluate the environmental
impacts of fisheries activities and improve the effectiveness of policies to
sustainably manage fisheries.
To this end, there are many recent technological developments. Such
technologies can be collaborative, there for involving more than one
stakeholder groups along the value chain or non collaborative which are set up
by governments to monitor the fisheries sector. These include the increased
computing power of handheld devices;the proliferation of user-friendly Global
Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellites Systems (GNSS)
applications; increased capacity for “big data” storage, sharing, and analysis;
variety and improved durability of drones and lowmaintenance radar stations;
accessibility and accuracy of satellite imagery; continuous improvements in
on-board digital cameras and recorders; expanded use of Automatic
Identification Systems (AIS) and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), and the
internet at sea.
Details of some advanced technological devices in fishing
1.
Vessel Monitoring Systems
(VMS)
VMS was originally a satellite-based system that provided data on the
time-stamped location, course and speed of vessels to fisheries authorities at
regular intervals (every two hours or 12 times per day).
2.
Automatic
Identification System (AIS)
AIS is a ship-reporting system based on
messages broadcasted by vessels carrying transponders. It was developed
primarily as a tool for maritime safety to avoid vessel collision by Vessel
Traffic Services (VTS) and as a means for coastal states to receive information
on vessels operating near their coasts
3.
Electronic Logbook
or ERS
4.
Drones (also
named as Un-Manned Vehicle) The growing use of fully or partly unmanned
vehicles, or drones, is one of the prominent fields of application of new
technology for sustainable fisheries. Drones can be used for fish stock
assessments, therefore providing cheaper services than oceanographic vessels.
Conclusion
New technologies will help governments to consider how they can
adapt and improve their policies, regulations, their enforcement and
compliances. The future of fisheries management will not depend on any single
technological innovation. A whole ecosystem of new technologies that complement
and communicate with each other will help in shaping the toolbox used by policy
makers for fish stock management in most of the countries.
