Vessel Monitoring Scheme

Small-scale trials were undertaken to assess the viability of a black box recording system that could be fitted to small fishing vessels. The trials helped with the development of a device called Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (iVMS). This device uses mobile phone technology to transmit the GPS position of the fishing vessel to the management body and related scientists in real time.
 
The Common Seas Vessel Monitoring System :

• Installed iVMS on vessels currently permitted to use mobile fishing gear in the Devon & Somerset Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (DSIFCA) region, making it the first EU inshore district to be entirely monitored in ‘real time’
• Developed systems and protocols in partnership with fishers, scientists and fisheries managers to maximize the potential of iVMS
• Helped protect the marine environment and provide a long-term future for local fishermen
• Developed a template and protocol to assist all 10 UK inshore districts to enact a fully monitored fishery
• Helped achieve a national roll out and a byelaw making iVMS a legal requirement to fish in the DSIFCA region