From deck to data: Norwegian fishing fleet to help monitor the sea

Sonar and catch data from Norwegian fishing vessels could soon play a key role in monitoring Norway’s fish stocks.

The Norwegian Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry Research Funding (FHF) organisation has announced a funding call worth up to NOK 10 million for a project aimed at making it easier for fishing vessel operators to share their data with scientists.

The goal is to use information collected from vessels’ echosounders, sonar and catch reports to improve stock monitoring and quota-setting. According to FHF, the project could also help strengthen cooperation and trust between fishers, researchers and authorities - and may become an international model.

“Fishers collect enormous amounts of data while at sea - from echosounders, sonar and catch reports. That information can be extremely valuable for research,” said FHF’s Head of Research, Rita Naustvik.

Climate change is causing fish stocks to shift faster than traditional research can track them, while funding for marine science is limited. “We need to use the data that already exists on board the vessels,” Naustvik said.

The project will develop a digital system that allows the fleet to share data more easily.

“When everyone shares, we can see the whole picture. One fisher sees one fjord, but together we can see the entire coast,” she added.

FHF Director Ståle Walderhaug said that combining data from sonar, catch reporting and vessel tracking into one platform could allow researchers to follow fish movements almost in real time. “It provides better stock assessments, less uncertainty in quota decisions, and a sounder basis for both the industry and management,” he said.

Naustvik added that a shared data system could also help build trust between the industry and the scientific community. “This could become an international model for how fishers and researchers cooperate to manage the oceans."

"It’s citizen science, Norwegian style,” she said.