Carefish project - improving catch welfare

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These are the ambitious and promising goals of the carefish project in improving catch welfare in wild-capture fisheries:

  • assess global animal welfare impacts in fisheries

  • identify the potential of reducing animal suffering in various fishing methods and species

  • analyse the economic and social feasibility of the improvements suggested

  • raise problem and solution awareness in general and specific audiences

  • implement welfare guidelines into the Friend of the Sea fisheries certification scheme

Do you know any other hook-less angling techniques?

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Apart from fishing with a camera for underwater trophy shots, what other ways of hook-less fishing do you know where you can still get a thrill of action? A quick google search returned hook-less fly fishing, or as I experienced myself this year, fishing for garfish by using a bit of silky thread - it works a treat apparently by snaring the sharp teeth among the fine twine. Hybrid angling worked as well: sometimes without a hook, sometimes with.

Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2022 is coming up.....

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The ASFB is an exciting conference for anyone interested in fish and fisheries. The keynote of day 1 sounds like a cracker (see abstract below) - it will heavily feature the pioneering work of the FishID platform - I held some talks with one of their scientists last year - hopefully a collaboration will eventuate in the not so distant future:

Fish-n-Chips: supercharging fisheries science with computer vision

Rod Connolly 1

  1. Griffith University, Ashmore, QLD, Australia

The revolutionary use of automation combining computer vision and big data analytics is finally coming in to land in fisheries science! The presentation will explain opportunities and challenges that researchers and managers face in automated monitoring of fish abundance, biomass, and behaviour. Computer vision on robust and inexpensive camera systems can be particularly valuable for increasing efficiency and reliability in monitoring that is currently difficult, dangerous or prohibitively expensive. It can supercharge science. It can improve management – of wild fisheries and aquaculture. Increased automation is helping in stock assessments, and in monitoring to detect trends in the abundance and biomass of fish and benthic animals. Computer vision is also enabling more efficient monitoring of the extent and condition of fish habitat, of the presence of invasive species, and of interactions among species. New analytics are being developed as we move from the traditional scenario of having samples sizes that are often too small to be reliable, to a scenario of having far more data than fits on a hard-drive! So automation is creating new training needs and opportunities. There is a need for mentoring of graduates in statistics, for QA-QC, and for coping with embedded pseudo-replication. And always there is the imperative to sharpen our focus on outputs that inform actions.

Maritime hackathon in The Netherlands

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Last week, I was thinking up some ideas to pitch at the maritime hackathon in Urk, The Netherlands. I have signed up for the challenge: Data on-board - how does the future fisher navigate a sea of data? It feeds in with the work I presented last year at the World Fisheries Congress: “Catching Data: an integrated platform for science-industry collaboration on vessel-based data collection, analysis, and application”. Previous hackathons with open data have been a great succes. For example, the Open Sea lab from EMODnet. So fingers crossed that some of the ideas turn into real gamechangers.

The opportunities of fishing vessels are huge to provide valuable data that create win-wins for the sector as well as other stakeholders, including science and the wider society by improving the transparency of sustainable operations. Examples are the vessels of opportunities in Australia. There are already some up-and-coming enterprises that enrich and visualize (aggregated) data and enhance prediction tools (such as efice and weforsea) and platforms (such as iliad and djustconnect.be to name a couple). However, the market may not be ready yet and competing business interests may hamper visionary progress and large-scale, harmonised implementation and uptake. Having a data standard such as the poseidat format is a perfect departure point facilitating trans-national uptake. So far the challenge is to find a viable business model that makes ends meet and provides an incentive for fishers to keep on logging, sharing within safe boundaries safeguarding their genuine business interests and trade secrets, and adding sensors and instruments to their quiver. Improvements of catching efficiency as decision-support tools and transparent fishing with high quality and real-time data exposing and sharing operational information for a better market price (see examples from Norwegian’s pelagic industry) are possible. But exact revenue margins remain blurry at the moment, causing hesitation to invest. From fishers for fishers is the key motto. A low-hanging fruit are weather data from on-board weather stations. Every larger vessel has a sophisticated unit given its importance in monitoring when and where it is good and safe to steam and fish. These data can be shared with weather forecasting services to improve weather predictions and will eventually make shipping and fishing a safer industry.

How anglers can spread invasive species and at the same time prevent it from happening

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In an interesting article a team of researchers have analysed movement data of anglers by tapping into their GPS coordinates when using the popular fishbrain app. By tracking and mapping the angler’s movements identified superhighways and gateway locations where invasive species can get a chance to spread as soon as different water bodies are fished within a short time increasing the risk to transfer eggs, larvae or grown individuals of invasive species by accident from one waterbody to another. This makes the anglers part of the solution as well by modifying ingrained habits slightly. In a blog it was stated that “for example, avoiding fishing in different waters in the same, seven-day period can help to prevent the spread of invasive species across different waters. Cleaning angling equipment between uses is another useful step.”

Novel underwater camera system for commercial fishing

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Blue skies, pure sunshine and clear water in Northern Denmark provided the perfect backdrop for an experimental fishing trial of #DTUAqua to promote the application of a novel underwater camera system that gives a real-time underwater view of all species entering the last part of a trawl net. This camera has been purpose built to fit inside commercial fishing nets, with integrated lights, together with smart tarpaulin sheets to quarantee clear water and good contrasts, it works a treat. All species that flush into the codend can be easily recognized when zipping past the camera inside a funnel-shaped, narrow section of the net. Welcome to modern, technology-driven 21st century fishing. Fishing blind in not really knowing what enters the nets seems a thing of the past. There are plenty of applications that create a win-win for all involved in the big game of hunting fish: fishermen, scientists and managers. For example, as soon as unwanted bycatches (such as undersized cod) enter a net designed to capture Norway lobster, a fisher could decide to haul in the net already, that way avoiding the capture of a less-valuable species or for which less quota is available. There are also trials ongoing as I write with an acoustic mechanism to close the codend remotely underwater only when the target catch starts to enter. This gives the fisher the power to actively manipulate catch composition and eventually catch less but keep more.

Hook-less holidays in the Mark Brandenburg

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The heat of the summer days carries a lordly smile. Dry leaves and pointy pine needles crush as pringles under my shoes. The lake in front of me hides behind a glistening mirror of sun light, full of secret life. I fit my snorkel mask and dive in. The water is literally crystal clear. The white sand that provides an easy entry is a perfect backdrop for a tropical beach like underwater vision experience. Sun rays splinter through the surface and dance in line with reeds that waft above. The crisp cold water speaks in a Nordic tongue and licks my skin in delight. Some small European perch peek around my feet. I swim further out along the reed edge. This seems like a perfect hunting ground for a pike. A curtain of reed stems shield this year’s young brood from the unknown of the open water. I keep a look out for a slender silhouette. It is easy to picture how this skillful predator lurks in the shadows, observing, waiting for the moment to ambush an unexpecting prey.

Interesting symposium is coming up in Ireland

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A very interesting inland fisheries symposium is coming up in Ireland next week. Keep your eyes peeled for drsnapper’s contribution. The slogan of the symposium is: "Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture - Advances in Technology, Stock Assessment and Citizen Science in an Era of Climate Change". There are 5 theme sessions with invited contributions (I have submitted a piece under Theme 4 - Citizen Science):

Theme 1: Inland fish stock assessment 

Quantitative approaches to assessment and management of inland fisheries and fish stocks, with a focus on:

  1. Data collection and monitoring requirements for stock assessment,

  2. Data-limited assessment methods relevant to inland commercial and/or recreational fisheries,

  3. Assessment of predation, e.g., cormorant, impacts on freshwater fish stocks, and

  4. Model-based approaches to inland fisheries management, e.g., MSE, harvest control rules etc.

Theme 2:  Developments in freshwater fish monitoring technologies with an emphasis on non-destructive methods

Monitoring fish populations is an essential tool for quantifying population abundance and composition and assessing impacts of anthropogenic pressures.  Conventional sampling such as electrofishing and netting surveys (fykes, gill nets, seine nets) and associated equipment can be expensive, difficult to transport and surveys are often limited to those waterbodies with road access or boat slips.  Many conventional methods also require handling fish, which can cause stress, injury and sometimes mortality.  Relatively new non-destructive sampling methods/technology, such as remote sensing (e.g. hydroacoustics, telemetry), visual observation (e.g. underwater camera, snorkel surveys) and eDNA are becoming increasingly popular.  Could these techniques be adopted for routine monitoring programmes, e.g. for Water Framework Directive or Habitats Directive monitoring.

 

Theme 3: The problems and challenges of climate change and its impacts on inland aquatic resources and fisheries

Inland fisheries provide critical ecosystem services to communities in Europe and worldwide and have important subsistence, cultural, and economic value. However, the freshwater rivers, streams, and lakes that fish occupy are faced with many challenges, including climate change, and have become one of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. Fish are an important indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems, and an improved understanding of how they are affected by changing climate conditions is critical to understanding the future of these ecosystems and identifying adaptive management strategies. There are still numerous knowledge gaps related to fish species and climate change (e.g. what can be done to make fish communities resilient to climate change, how do we minimize exposure and sensitivity to climate change and maximize adaptive capacity amid uncertainty; what actions are most likely to be successful in the long term and where should these actions be implemented).  There is now a growing body of empirical research and conservation actions that are being employed to tackle these challenging problems.  EIFAAC wish to highlight existing research and share experiences related to, but not limited to, approaches to assess impacts of climate change with a focus on species, spatial and habitat vulnerability, thermal performance and tolerance of fish species, mitigation measures and environmental flows.

Theme 4: Citizen science

The involvement of citizens in recording our natural environment has been around for centuries, e.g. amateur meteorologists and ornithologists; however modern-day citizen science with the engagement through technology is a growing movement and this has broadened opportunities to expand our knowledge of the natural environment. Citizen science could offer a potentially cost-effective tool to obtain fishery information over large spatio-temporal scales to support fisheries management, e.g. to contribute to stock assessments in inland waters.  EIFAAC wish to highlight existing citizen science initiatives and explore its use as a complementary tool to traditional fishery management methods in inland waters. (Contributions and examples of public participation in scientific research are welcome from a broad range of fields where applicable).

Theme 5: Aquaculture - traditional freshwater systems vs recirculation systems

Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest growing agri-food sectors and has the potential to provide the world’s population with quality and healthy fish products.  Traditional methods of aquaculture production can affect the environment.  Environmental restrictions to minimise pollution, focus on sustainability, food safety and cost effectiveness has driven the development of recirculation aquaculture systems.  These systems have two advantages: cost effectiveness and reduced environmental impact. 

Image courtesy: Inland Fisheries Ireland

A new way to fish.....Belgian news media pay a visit

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The Zeekerweten (Know for sure) Citizen Science festival attracted 1200 visitors to the Belgian coast last weekend who all learned how to do bio blitzes and biodiversity assessments in their backyards. It was exciting and a pleasure to host a TV news crew who were interested to document drsnapper’s new way to fish: #soul fishing #catchinpeace: with a camera only - no hooks involved. To mark the occasion, I got some special softbaits and odour bait capsules, which I will profile further soon.

Links:

VTM Nieuws 8/5 (13hrs, 19hrs) (26:15-28:00)

DeMorgen

Hln.be

Citizen Science Festival is coming up in Belgium

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Discover, measure and know biodiversity at the first Belgian citizen science festival by the sea

With the 'ZEEKERWETEN (Know for Sure)' Festival, our coast is getting its first citizen science festival by the sea. On Sunday 8 May, VLIZ and partners invite everyone to enjoy a rich program of outdoor activities. The aim is to teach the general public techniques to make coastal animals and plants more visible and thus to help science move forward even after that day.

Sea, beach, marsh, dune. Attractive places with surprising animals and plants. On Sunday 8 May (10 am-4 pm), the citizen science festival 'ZEEKERWETEN (Know for Sure)' offers everyone the chance to discover this special life in a surprising way. Passionate experts share the necessary tricks and tools. Techniques that everyone can use after that day as a fully-fledged citizen scientist. Both researchers affiliated with universities and scientific institutions (UGent, INBO, ILVO, VLIZ) participate, as well as employees of visitor centers and educational facilities by the sea (Duinpanne, Duinenhuis, Marine Ecological Center, Bird Shelter Centre, Horizon Educational, Zwin Nature Park).

Some activities take place throughout the day, others only at certain times. The full programme can be found at www.zeekerweten.be.

“It will be a unique open-air experience, full of action and fascinating research. There are more than thirty activities at 17 locations spread across the coast. And, together with our partners, we mobilize more than eighty experts to provide the best possible guidance to the public”, says main organizer Jan Seys (VLIZ). There is something for everyone.

A selection from the rich programme illustrates how all kinds of techniques help the citizen scientist today more than ever:

- In the visitor center Duinpanne (Adinkerke) attention is paid to the use of wildcams to detect nocturnal animals. You will learn how to purchase, set up and operate such a wildlife camera, and what you should pay attention to in order to achieve maximum results.

- In the Spuikom overflow near Ostend, Doctor Snapper shows you how to “fish” with a fishing rod with only a camera attached (and some bait without a hook). This way you don't have to hurt the fish and you still get to see the animal.

- At the Rederskaai (Zeebrugge) the focus is on seaweed and sea creatures that you will find on and around the pontoons of the marina. Two divers retrieve living material to the surface. Experts from the Strandwerkgroep, Ghent University and VLIZ help you identify.

- ObsIdentify allows you to identify up to 20,000 species of plants and animals. This app is being demonstrated in the Zwin Nature Park and is actively being used at many other stations. You will discover in the Zwin and in Duinpanne how you can blindly recognize the song of birds with another app. The reading of color rings in gulls and other birds – in order to be able to trace their life path – is also discussed.

Attention is also paid to hedgehogs, bats, the "zorro mouse", plants and creepy crawlies in the dunes, ladybugs, the Asian hornet, life in dune pools and on beaches, plankton, etc.

ZEEKERWETEN is an initiative of VLIZ, Natuurpunt, Scivil, INBO, EOS, Strandwerkgroep, Province of West Flanders, Horizon Educational, MEC, WWF-Rangersclub, VOC, Duinenhuis, UGent, ILVO and the Flemish Government. It is part of the LifeWatch Belgium project.

(This is an edited google translation of the Dutch press release).