The European Technology Chamber has recognised Satlink’s smart DSF, specially designed to enhance selective fishing, as the Best European Technology for Ocean Conservation and Life below water protection at the SDG Awards 2023.
The award, presented to Satlink president and founder Faustino Velasco, acknowledges Satlink’s technology for its contribution to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.
During the awards ceremony, Pierre Nadji, Head of Aid and Co-operation at the European Commission (EC), emphasized that ‘very specific technologies can solve significant issues, and it is technologies such as these that will secure the future and the achievement of SDGs,’ also highlighting the Commission’s interest in supporting investments in line with the SDGs to ensure sustainable and smart developments.
The EU Technology Chamber has decribed Satlink’s work as ‘crucial to ensure the long-term sustainability of the oceans.’
Satlink’s smart selective DSF has been conceived to enable species discrimination. With its unique dual echosounder system, in addition to providing information on the volume of tuna present below, it uses algorithms and Artificial Intelligence to identify the species and proportions of the overall amount within sounder range.
This allows skippers to make more informed decisions to optimise fishing strategies and to minimise fuel consumption and emissions, while the constant generation of real-time information provides data about the oceans, species, and their behaviour.
‘We are proud to receive an award that recognises, at a European level, the innovation capacity of the Spanish technology industry applied, as in our case, to sustainable fishing and the care of our oceans,’ Faustino Velasco said.
‘Our smart DSF has been a significant milestone for the global fishing sector, as it represents a fundamental tool in their efforts to ensure that their catches come from sustainable and responsible fishing activity.’
