The use of vessel tracking and traceability systems in the UK A regulators perspective

Kevin Williamson 22nd June 2015

This afternoon......

• Legal obligations to report fishing activity – On fishermen – On others

• Monitoring of activity remotely – – Vessel Monitoring Systems – Sightings data

• New Initiatives – – “Fully Documented Fisheries” – Inshore VMS – Release of processed information – combined VMS

and activity data

• Questions welcome

Scale of activity covered UK waters = 270,000 sq miles

6,400 UK vessels

Access to UK waters for other

Member States as well

Shared UK data systems: 240,000 landings

260,000 sales notes

Over 3mn satellite “pings” from GB vessels

Pings from OMS vessels too

Activity data collection

EU requirement: Article 58 of Regn 1224/2009 – “Fishery products must be traceable at all stages of production, processing and distribution, from catch or harvest to retail sale.”

• Fish placed on markets to be in lots • Splitting of lots after first sale must be

traceable back to original lot • Minimum level labelling and info

requirements set

Activity data collection

MMO focus: • Requirement to cover all commercial activity • Focus on recording and controlling activity from

capture to first point of sale.

• Obligations to monitor: – Fleet – Activity at sea – Landings – Buyers and sellers (first point of sale) – UK vessels everywhere – Foreign vessels landing into the UK

Activity data collected:

Vessels Over 10m • Reported by fishermen • EC Logbook

Who, when, where, what with

• Landing Declaration Accurate weights

• Sales notes Presentation, grade,

accurate weights, values

• VMS (>15m........>12m) Position, speed

• Vessels 10m & under • Reported usually by

others (auction centres, buyers)

• Sales notes Who, when,

presentation, grade, accurate weights, values

Estimates of where, what with

Electronic logbook and landing declaration • Originally over 15m and now over 12m required to

operate systems on board • Receipt of data while at sea not just when make

landing • Scope for fishermen to report increased detail on

activity – e.g. spatial data related to activity while at sea

• Cross link to VMS data as well within data systems

Other information required:

• Take-over declarations required when fish is landed but is not offered for sale or is intended for sale at a later date

• Similar content to sales note information (except for the price paid)

• Must indicate the place where the products are stored

• ‘Holder’ of the fish must submit this information to fisheries administrations

• Transport documents as well to accompany fish when moving

Other activity data collected • Activities related to control function: • At sea:

– VMS activity reports from vessels – Aerial surveillance activity – At-Sea surveillance and inspection activity:

• Navy/MMO in English waters • Other bodies in English waters – e.g. IFCA’s • Other administrations - e.g. Marine Scotland

– Gives Lat/Long of sighting of activity and inspections

• On-land surveillance and inspection activity: • MMO and other administrations • IFCA’s

• Collation and sharing of information • Use of information to inform other functions

Fully Documented Fisheries • Precursor to approach embodied within the Landing

Obligation • Requirement to fully document all catches of set

species as part of trial – i.e. no discarding for those species

• Additional quota given for species covered – limited to provide incentive for increased selectivity

• Additional days at sea as well in some cases • Remote Electronic Monitoring of activity

Remote Electronic monitoring in FDF Fisheries

Remote Electronic monitoring in FDF Fisheries

• Ensures any discards accounted for and monitors compliance with the landing obligation

• Sensors monitor and record; fishing gear operation, GPS data every 10 seconds

• Quick review software linking CCTV footage from up to 8 cameras to sensor data.

• Can be used to corroborate fisher self-reported data (such as plaice discards on top left image)

• Provides high spatial and temporal resolution • The ability to generate biological data from REM/CCTV

footage is being explored. (fish measuring and length frequency comparisons at bottom of slide)

Inshore VMS – i-VMS • I-VMS device to be a low cost reporting system for

management of MPA and inshore fisheries • More frequent reports send using GPRS rather than

satellite (as the current VMS does) • Frequency determined by the sensitivity of the location • Use of geofences to increase frequency – e.g. every

minute if required • Requirements for an I-VMS device will be through

MMO or IFCA byelaws not by EU legisltaion. • It will need to be reporting and operational at all times

within byelaw areas - outside these areas the device will report infrequently to show regulators it is working.

Inshore VMS – i-VMS

• MMO is currently establishing an approval process for the I-VMS devices

• There may be multiple suppliers of I-VMS devices • It is hoped devices will thus be available later in 2015 • EMFF grants should be available for fishermen who

wish to purchase a device • The devices will report into the current Saffire system

and will be viewed alongside reports from other VMS systems

Combining data sets • Limit for activity reporting is ICES rectangle • Link VMS and activity data to translate activity into finer

spatial detail

• Any questions?