Danish Herring and Mackerel Fishermen Have Introduced Camera Surveillance on All Vessels
Improved biodiversity in the oceans, fewer cases of bycatch and more transparency in the fishing sector. These are the key words behind the Danish Pelagic Producer Organization’s new initiative Fully Documented Fishing, which has now been implemented on all member vessels.
With Fully Documented Fishing, all fishing-related activities on board are documented with a combination of GPS, CCTV cameras, and AI sensors placed on the vessel. The system’s sensor systems and data infrastructure make it possible to deliver relevant data and information for use in science and administration.
At the same time, the new data gives the vessels the opportunity to document that all relevant fishing regulations are observed on board. And precisely this has been a decisive motivation behind the initiative, says fishing skipper and chairman of the board of DPPO, Jens Schneider Rasmussen.
“It is extremely important for us to contribute to transparency in the fishing sector so that both authorities and consumers can have full confidence in our work in the seas. Therefore, I am pleased that we can now contribute completely new data to both research and better management,” he says.
In Line with the Fisheries Commission’s Recommendations
The launch of Fully Documented Fishing was precisely part of the 19 expert recommendations on the future of fishing that the Fisheries Commission published last December.
Here, the Fisheries Commission placed particular emphasis on the fact that the initiative will be able to ensure targeting and optimization of the sustainable exploitation of fisheries and minimize negative effects on the ecosystems, including unwanted by-catch of fish, birds, and marine mammals and unwanted impact on seabed habitats and organisms.
At the same time, the initiative has been called for and supported by several green organizations.
“The fact that DPPO is introducing fully documented fishing on all their fishing vessels is good news for our pressured marine environment and the future fish stocks. More cameras and censors will, among other things, be able to reduce bycatch and provide more data and knowledge, which can improve Danish fisheries management and practices,” says Liselotte Hohwy Stokholm, Managing Director of Tänketanken Hav.
DPPO is responsible for all operation and data storage of the system in collaboration with experts at Integrated Monitoring in Boston, US. All videos and data are made directly available to the Danish authorities and scientific partners.
