Danish pelagic operators took the initiative to implement digital monitoring and surveillance across all their vessels ahead of legislation or regulatory requirements. Now the Danish Pelagic PO says it’s time for the authorities to catch up with the industry and the technology.
‘Our members have invested in monitoring their fisheries. The state gets better control, and the fisheries can plan more effectively. But the authorities have not seized the opportunity in other fisheries, even though the potential is enormous,’ said DPPO director Esben Sverdrup-Jensen.
‘With a new government and with fisheries placed in the Ministry of the Environment, we hope that things will be different. The time has come to do away with the existing expensive and ineffective control practices, strengthen the knowledge base and ensure transparency.’
DPPO members account for roughly 50% of all Danish landings, and all of the PO vessels are outfitted with cameras, sensors and digital surveillance to track the catch from net to landing across the entire fleet – a first in Europe.
‘No law or regulation forced us. We did it because future fisheries management should be based on facts rather than assumptions. And we know it works because the example already exists. In the sandeel fishery, the Danish Fisheries Agency has used our video data and in return has given permission to fish in several management areas on the same trip,’ he commented.
‘This is a tangible benefit for both parties. The state gets better, cheaper and more precise control, and the fishery can plan more effectively and save both fuel and CO2 emissions. Documentation becomes a tool, not just a requirement.’
The DPPO states that the authorities have failed to seize this opportunity for other fisheries, but hopes the new Danish government will have more of an appetite to exploit these technological breakthroughs in fisheries.
‘Myths about fishing still reign supreme. This is especially true in the Baltic Sea, where past misreporting shapes the debate and contributes to quotas being set far below scientific recommendations. This costs both fishermen and society millions of kroner and millions of healthy meals. There are at least three good reasons to use the documentation to its full potential,’ Esben Sverdrup-Jensen said.
‘Firstly, it gives an accurate picture of reality. The debate about pelagic fishing is often based on assumptions about what is happening on the vessels. Cameras and AI show what is actually happening. With full documentation, we can show that fish are not being thrown overboard and that by-catch is far less than one percent of the total catch. Countering prejudices and beliefs. The documentation does not solve the Baltic Sea’s challenges with oxygen depletion, nutrients, pollution and climate change, but it moves the debate from feelings to facts.’
A second factor is that this makes control cheaper and sharper. Cameras and AI, make it possible to target effort as needed, which frees up inspectors, drones and ships to where there is real reason to look and make an extra effort. This means smarter control.
‘Thirdly, it strengthens our knowledge,’ he said.
‘Today, fisheries data is largely unused in stock assessments. It is a waste. For example, the latest figures from ICES, which provides biological advice for the EU’s fishing quotas, show significant progress for both sprat and herring in the Baltic Sea.’
A further positive box to tick is the reduction in bureaucracy.
‘When a fishery is fully documented, it should not be subject to regulations that technology has made redundant. Bans on sorting, requirements for narrow area restrictions, double recording and tolerance margins in the logbook should be reviewed and eased.
More digital documentation should lead to less paperwork. Not more. Fishermen provide transparency, and in return, the rules should be simplified,’ Esben Sverdrup-Jensen said.
The DPPO wants to see the Minister, the parties in the Danish Parliament, the Danish Fisheries Agency and EU decision-makers to focus on the use of documentation to ensure that facts and transparency – not myths and perceptions – drive ocean management, the incorporation of fisheries data into research and stock assessment, and a review of the regulations and remove requirements that the documentation has made redundant.
‘The documentation is not a free pass for the industry, and it does not solve everything. But it is an offer of openness that the authorities can translate into better management and lower costs,’ he commented.
‘The fishermen have invested first. Now the authorities must follow suit.’
