DAFM

Informatics in support of the Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management, Phase 2

jkeane — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 14:21:48 +0000

Informatics in support of the Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management, Phase 2

Data is a key input into the advice which drives fisheries management but access to it is often restricted to scientists. This project provides tools for a number of different audiences to discover and explore the fisheries data that is collected within Ireland. Data can be difficult to interpret if you are not familiar with its context so rather than just providing the data itself this project has developed graphical data-driven tools and applications that will make its interpretation easier.

Improving inter-organisational collaborations enables ongoing data integration initiatives and maximises the utility of integrated fisheries information to address the CFP reform objectives. Future fisheries management tools will need to include real time management such as discard avoidance measures, spatio-temporal closures, spatio-temporal & technical incentives, smarter targeting etc. Reversing the burden of proof should incentivise fully documented fisheries introducing new data collection requirements. Information on fishing impacts on the marine environment and biodiversity and effects of the environment on fishing opportunities are also poorly integrated, and a joined up approach will greatly simplify EBAFM realisation. Social and economic data will need to be integrated with existing fisheries control and scientific data in a more effective way.

In phase 1 the Fisheries Infomatics project has developed four on line apps. Phase 1 has also involved a knowledge and information sharing element. This included making all the source code publically available on GitHub, training scientist in the MI on best practice for code management and development and training for updates and maintenance of existing apps.

Phase 2 will involve collaborations with other national and international organisations to develop 4 new apps. These apps will include:

The fisheries TCM chart. This will be a collaboration with BIM and SFPA. The aim of the app is to make a user friendly electronic version of the fisheries management chart produced each year by BIM. Project planning and initial scoping has already commenced.
Marine Biodiversity App. The aim of this app is to put a Marine interface on the National Biodiversity Centre’s databases. It will also involve sharing existing MI records of species occurrences with the national biodiversity centre.
Mixed fisheries app. This will involve a collaboration with ICES and the mixed fisheries working group (WGMIXFISH) to develop new tools to interface with mixed fisheries data.

The use case for the final app will be based on emerging priorities. The project team are using an agile approach to develop these apps and rather than specifying the last app it is more innovative to explore emergent needs. Informatics in support of the CFP was identified as a priority action for support under Ireland’s EMFF OP to be implemented through the Marine Biodiversity Scheme.

An important consideration of this project is that it will make use of the Marine Institute’s common digital infrastructure – the “Digital Ocean” framework. This means that it can work with other projects within the Marine Institute to create lasting value. A steering committee consisting of representatives from the Marine Institute’s fisheries and IT/data management sections will meet regularly during the project’s lifetime both to ensure it is progressing correctly and to agree on how the outputs will be managed after the project ends.

jkeane Mon, 04/27/2020 - 14:21

Partners:

Phase 1 of the project has concentrated on the data that the Marine Institute collects and stores as part of Ireland’s responsibilities under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy. Phase 2 of the project will widen its scope and see the Marine Institute working with partners such as DAFM, DHPLG, DCHG, SFPA, and BIM to design and deploy applications that are of joint interest.

Duration:

The project is carried out in two phases. Phase 1 runs between 2017 and 2018 whilst Phase 2 will run in 2019 and 2020.

Project Outputs:

The secure reporting database developed during Phase 1 will be maintained and populated with the relevant data sets identified during the project.
Four new applications will be built and deployed during Phase 2 in collaboration with other organisations.
Final source code to be publicly available and shared using GitHub or similar platforms. The underpinning data will also be made publically available.
Existing apps will be maintained and developed further as necessary.
A number of training courses will be held to train MI staff and other collaborators on the various app development tools. Staff will be mentored on code development management for their own applications.
Documentation will be developed and maintained for all the apps.

The above “use cases” will have anticipated end users including: Fishing industry, Environmental Non-Governenmental Organisations, policy makers, scientists, students and interested public

The individual apps developed in phase one and now being maintained and populated can be accessed using the following links:

Species Dashboard
https://shiny.marine.ie/speciesdash
People can learn about fish species in Irish waters and explore their data with the Species Dashboard - this is a web application that makes biological fisheries data more available to all interested parties. In particular, it allows people to explore the length, weight, and age data of commercial species that are caught around Ireland and allows the effects of factors such as years, sex, area, and gear on the fish to be investigated.

Digital Stock Book
https://shiny.marine.ie/stockbook/
The Stock Book is produced annually by the Marine Institute and provides up to date scientific information on the state of the fisheries resources exploited by the Irish fleet. It provides the latest scientific advice that informs fishing opportunities for the following year. The Stock Book has been published by the Marine Institute since 1993 and has evolved considerably over time. The Digital Stock Book app makes this advice available on-line in an interactive way – for example it includes a forecasting tool that allows users to see the projected impact of different fishing scenarios.

Irish Groundfish Survey (IGFS) Data Explorer
https://shiny.marine.ie/igfs/ (in development)
The IGFS is part of an internationally coordinated series of demersal trawl surveys that provides data on fish stocks that are not available from sampling commercial fishing trips. It provides both environmental and biological data on areas of high and low commercial activity. The IGFS app allows users to explore the results of the survey using a number of tools – people can explore the higher level summary information and delve into species specific data.

Cod Tagging
https://shiny.marine.ie/tagging/
The Marine Institute, in partnership with AFBI in Northern Ireland and CEFAS in the UK, are conducting a cod tagging project in the Irish Sea. The aim of this mapping application was to create a graphical data-driven tool to look at the data collected by the project. It visualises the locations of releases and recaptures of the fish and the maps can be downloaded. For the recapture data, the user can also customise plots and export them.

Expected Benefit:

Digitisation and dissemination of fisheries data to improve accessibility of information for a variety of endusers including policy makers, stakeholders, scientists and the general public.

Integration and improved accessibility of different data sources of fisheries, biodiversity, environmental, and economic data to be used as decision making tools for a variety of endusers including policy makers, stakeholders, scientists and the general public.

Engagement with key data stake-holders including SFPA, BIM, DAFM, DHPCLG, and DCHG and the national biodiversity centre; resolving any data governance issues and identifying applications that support enduser requirements. Phase 2 of the project will include implementing and deploying applications with these partners.

Further Information:

Further details available on www.emff.marine.ie
Contact: informatics@marine.ie

Project Cost - Projected:

€798,000

Related Projects:

Informatics in Support of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management - Phase 1

Project Tags:

Biodiversity

Fisheries

Informatics

Support for MSFD and Biodiversity Support

Phase:

Project Status:

Completed

Species Dashboard

Digital Stock Book

Irish Groundfish Survey (IGFS) Data Explorer

Cod Tagging

Website Preview

field_website_preview 0

field_website_preview 1

field_website_preview 2

field_website_preview 3

Automating data acquisition for vessels under 12m in length Phase 2

jkeane — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 12:04:49 +0000

Automating data acquisition for vessels under 12m in length Phase 2

The project aims to develop or adopt methods for automating data acquisition from inshore fishing vessels. Data provision for the majority of the inshore fleet (<10m in length) is extremely poor with no direct reporting of landings, effort or position. The number of registered under 12m vessels (mainly targeting shellfish inside 6nm) is approximately 1900 although probably about half this number are active. Paper based reporting systems are not suitable for this number of vessels but automation is technically possible depending on how the system is designed and how user (industry) acceptance can be optimised. This project would build on the iVMS project now operating mainly in the Irish Sea by expanding iVMS to other fleets but more importantly adding functionality to enable capture of fishing effort and catch data. The approach would be to ‘cherry pick’ from known applications and methods that are now on the market or possible to develop relatively simply. The evaluation of these methods would be based on how the data could be seamlessly streamed to existing or modified databases, hardware costs, reliability and importantly how the operators (fishermen) interface with the system. Improved data provision is important for a range of reasons including stock assessment, pressure monitoring for MSFD, activity mapping for MSP, seafood hygiene regulations and control of fisheries TACs and other measures. The Marine Institute will lead the project in 2019 under the guidance of DAFM and the regional (RIFF) and national (NIFF) industry forums.

1. The Marine Institute are currently contracting services from Applied Satellite Technology Ltd (AST), Succorfish Ltd and IDS Monitoring for the provision of iVMS and gear sensor hardware, data transmission, data hosting, data API and integration and maintenance of the systems. The project in 2019 and 2020 will maintain these contracts for services. There is a regulatory requirement for vessels fishing with hydraulic dredges for razor clams to report VMS position when fishing which the project is responsible for.

2. Detecting Fishing events: Work will continue with service providers on gear sensors to identify fishing events within the larger iVMS data set using a range of radio, Bluetooth sensors and also sensors that record depth and temperature when fishing gear is in the water and uses this to provide information on location of gear deployment and recovery. In addition, modelling of iVMS data will be undertaken to identify patterns in fishing vessel behaviour.

3. Data integration: given that iVMS data could be provided by multiple providers (currently 3) and that any future rollout of these systems to the under 12m fleet could be single or multiple supplier the project will demonstrate how data from different systems can be pushed, using API, to a single interface. This is critical to effective control.

4. Evaluation of solar powered units. Based on experience to date with units relying on vessel power and because of variability in how that power is provided the project will evaluate the efficacy of solar powered iVMS units. Some of these have already been installed but different units from existing and other suppliers will be evaluated.

Maintenance contracts: maintaining iVMS systems installed on vessels is critical to avoiding loss of fishing time (due to tie up) and loss of unrecorded fishing time. The quality and implementation of the service level agreements between suppliers and MI will be further evaluated and lessons learnt will be included in project guidelines.

jkeane Thu, 04/23/2020 - 12:04

Partners:

Inshore Fishing Sector

The Marine Institute will lead the project in 2019 under the guidance of DAFM and the regional (RIFF) and national (NIFF) industry forums.

Duration:

The project has a 2 year duration and runs between 2019 and 2020.

Project Outputs:

The project is ongoing. The expected outcomes are listed below:

iVMS and gear sensor data sets for dredging and potting vessels under 12m in length.
Demonstration of the feasibility of acquiring fisheries data from inshore vessels.
Interfaces to real time visualisation of vessel positions and data integration.
Maps of data sets acquired showing high resolution spatial data.
Report on implementation of the project including types of data, systems, costs, depreciation and recommendations on larger scale roll out.

Expected Benefit:

Improved fisheries advice to DAFM.
Mapping of fishing pressures in relation to Natura 2000 sites and for MSFD descriptors.
Improved data on landings, effort and economic value of the sector.
Will improved interaction with RIFFs and allow the agencies to improve services to these groups.
Better data required for ICES and STECF data calls and to deliver the DCF.

Further Information:

Contact Oliver Tully, Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway at Oliver.Tully@Marine.ie

Project Cost - Projected:

€250,000

Related Projects:

Automating Data Acquisition from Vessels under 12 Metres in Length new

Deployment of Vessel Monitoring Systems (iVMS) on Inshore Fishing Vessels Using Dredges

Project Tags:

Biodiversity

Fisheries

Natura

Natura fisheries interaction

Phase:

Project Status:

Ongoing

Automating Data Acquisition from Vessels under 12 Metres in Length

dkelly — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:15:47 +0000

Automating Data Acquisition from Vessels under 12 Metres in Length

The project aims to develop or adopt methods for automating data acquisition from inshore fishing vessels using digital methods. Data provision for the majority of the inshore fleet (<12m in length) is very poor with no direct reporting of landings for vessels under 10m, little information on fishing effort and poor information on location. The number of registered under 12m vessels in the Irish fleet, which mainly fish for shellfish inside 6nm, is approximately 1,900. Paper based reporting systems are not suitable for this number of vessels but automation is technically possible. The design of digitised systems needs to be user friendly, and be acceptable and usable by fishermen, and unit (vessel) costs need to be realistic and proportionate considering the annual value of the landings per vessel.

This project is building on a system already operating in the Irish Sea, where the location of fishing operations is monitored using a fleet tracking system, and adds functionality to enable capture of fishing effort and catch or landings data. The evaluation of these methods includes how the data could be seamlessly streamed to existing or modified databases, hardware costs, depreciation and reliability and also how fishermen interact with the system. Improved data provision is important for a range of reasons such as fisheries monitoring and assessment, marine spatial planning, assessing fishing pressure on the environment and seafood traceability.

The project is divided into a number of tasks and procured in 5 separate lots

Procurement and evaluation of a range of different vessel tracking systems
Evaluation of fishing gear deployment and recovery sensors coupled to the vessel tracking system to pinpoint where and when fishing gears are deployed
Methods for the electronic (digitised) reporting of catch such as mobile phone forms
Data management and data visualization in real time for monitoring purposes and in particular how data from different systems can be integrated to a single database
Management of installations and maintenance of the systems

dkelly Wed, 06/27/2018 - 07:15

Partners:

Inshore Fishing Sector

SFPA

DAFM

The inshore fishing sector, The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM)

Duration:

The project has a 2 year duration and runs between 2017 and 2018.

Project Outputs:

The project is ongoing. The expected outcomes are listed below:

iVMS data sets for 80 dredging vessels under 12m in length
Demonstration of the feasibility of acquiring fisheries data from inshore vessels
Interfaces to real time visualisation of vessel positions procured
Maps of data sets acquired showing high resolution spatial data
Mid-term report on implementation of the project

Expected Benefit:

1. Improved fisheries advice to DAFM
2. Mapping of fishing pressures in relation to Natura 2000 sites and for MSFD descriptors
3. Fishing maps for marine spatial planning
4. Improved data on landings, effort and economic value of the sector
5. Improved traceability for seafood with knock on benefits to marketing

Further Information:

Contact Oliver Tully, Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway at Oliver.Tully@Marine.ie

Project Cost - Projected:

€270000

Related Projects:

Deployment of Vessel Monitoring Systems (iVMS) on Inshore Fishing Vessels Using Dredges

Project Tags:

Biodiversity

Fisheries

Natura

Natura fisheries interaction

Phase:

Project Status:

Completed

Publication

Project Insert Project Insert

Informatics in Support of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management - Phase 1

dkelly — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:10:17 +0000

Informatics in Support of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management - Phase 1

Some fisheries data is confidential so all project work has been performed with security in mind with the aim being to make data sets as accessible as possible whilst respecting existing data protection and data sensitivity requirements.

Knowledge-sharing and capacity building is embedded within the project – this has taken the form of presentations by the project personnel at the Marine Institute, to local user groups, and to the wider public at events such as SeaFest. The computer code outputs from the project will also be shared in an open-manner so that the wider community can have access to them.

dkelly Wed, 06/27/2018 - 07:10

Partners:

Duration:

The project is carried out in two phases. Phase 1 runs between 2017 and 2018 whilst Phase 2 will run in 2019 and 2020.

Project Outputs:

The project is ongoing and completion of tasks is in progress:

A reporting database infrastructure that allows a number of data sources to be harmonised and integrated with access control to allow different users and applications to access different levels of data. The reporting database is populated with the relevant data sets identified during the project
A number of applications are built using the reporting infrastructure. These include:

Expected Benefit:

Integration and improved accessibility of different data sources of fisheries, environmental, and economic data to be used as decision making tools for a variety of end-users including policy makers, stakeholders, scientists and the general public.

Further Information:

Further details available on www.emff.marine.ie
Contact: informatics@marine.ie

Project Tags:

Biodiversity

Fisheries

Informatics

Support for MSFD and Biodiversity Support

Phase:

Project Status:

Completed

Publication

Project Insert Project Insert