A quick rundown on the policy behind the introduction of e-logbooks and how they are intended to fit into the EU’s overall control regime was given WF by Lowri Evans, EU Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (see Interview, p10, WF July 2011).

She said: “The new EU Control System establishes the necessary legal framework to generalise the use of IT technologies…This will provide a common set of data which can be systematically cross-checked against each other and against data from sales notes.” She added that “This will enable authorities to spot any inconsistencies hinting at unlawful behaviours, and to undertake the necessary investigations.”

Our far-flung readers may note that “The Control Regulation applies to all fishing activities in EU waters…the fishing activities of third countries in EU waters, except where bilateral agreements exist [and]… all EU vessels, irrespective of where they operate – including outside EU waters”.

Connecting you now

Figures for how many each country has equipped vary. In theory all over 24m vessels’ systems should be operating, but not so for the 15m boats. Rumour has it that governments have still not got their computer server hubs in place to handle the system.

Among worries is the data system getting hacked. Stolen info on at-sea catch value could be very valuable for a competing operator. His vessels could be pulled back early to catch the top of an auction.

Barrie Deas, CEO of the UK’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) told WF the other side of the confidentiality risk issue is that producers can have much more accurate info to run their fleet to the best place and time for maximum efficiency on fuel versus income on sales etc. Also the data could help the scientists, whom he says are coming round more to seeing things from the real-time, on-the-water perspective of the industry. That would make for faster more flexible stock management changes regionally or in Brussels.

Barrie Deas said he might be concerned if the overall control system operated so rigidly that it then reinforced the centralised top-down approach which has characterised the CFP for so long. That might weaken hopes of more moves to local and regional decentralisation which the industry wants to see in the CFP reform plan.

WF found different software/hardware developers and their agents not only competing for the initial setup market, and with different systems and for different countries. They are all chasing the juicy long-term support and airtime charges from vessels and potentially lucrative national contracts to operate and maintain the hub operations which vessels will feed into. We have already seen competition in these pages between systems using Iridium satellites and Inmarsat satellites^{[1, 2]}.

There have been warnings to Brussels, for example from Europêche, COGECA and EAPO about how long it would take the industry in different countries to get their fleets fitted out and served. The EU Commissioner Maria Damanaki obviously wants to make progress, pursued by the NGO lobbies on IUU pirate catches and having to react short term to publicity about wasteful discards. Yet, the fishermen have been telling Commissioners about that waste for years. She has been criticised for not listening in general to the industry. A blistering critique in NFFO News in January quickly spread across the fishing trade press. Allaying regime controls fears among more small fishermen would have been welcomed^[3].

Cash worry

Barrie Deas said the UK subsidy of up to ₤2,000 seems to have left most UK 24m+ skippers without too many worries on set-up costs. Fleet-owning companies of larger vessels have had discounts for multiple systems. The 12m, little people may need to group to get discounts – more time wasted and another hassle. On Health and Safety will it be easier for small-crew boats to handle daily data demands after several sleepless days catching and gutting in a storm? We will see.

The other big problem 12m owners need to research is if you can build on what you have, or future-proof new gear. You may pay out and lock into a provider for costly satellite broadband on a long contract. Then you find some 13-yr-old has come up with a dirt-cheap, Internet-based protocol (IP) with cheap calls through a smartphone (with line of sight of the coast), and then add free Skype worldwide. See this one. It is to deter burglars, though it may not worry IUU pirates^[4].

Different governments are offering different deals. The Irish government, for example, is supposed to be paying for airtime. Others are paying all or some of the cost. WF has heard on the tom-tom, (the original message gear by packet-switching impulses) that the UK ministry will try to find the same money, as for 24m/15m boats, to fund the 12m fleet.

WF has drawn on some single-owner market research through emails sent by someone who prefers to remain anonymous. The request went out on 2 June to a dozen developers, manufacturers and marketing agents on prices for comms, VMS and EU compliant e-logbook capability, but without a PC, for a 13m boat.

By 8 June, as we went to press, only three had replied. A company from Slovenia led, (answering the same day) but with queries on VMS zone, flag registration. By day five, after more emails, it offered a rough basic price around €2,500 (with some incentives). But the total package was not clear enough for an immediate decision to be made.

An Icelandic company came back on 6 June with a good rundown list, but thin on prices and promising a discount for several vessels.

On 7 June a company from Norway said it would quote after receiving details of flag and operational waters.

But finally, on a lighter note. Iridium was struggling with a monster debt crisis in the middle of “TELECOM 1999” the global bash of the UN’s International Telecommunications Union. WF was told at the Iridium try-a-free-satellite-phone-call stand, that of its [few] customers, Russian factory ship skippers were the happiest. They loved Iridium satellite phones because they alone could be deactivated easily; and so hide the transmission/fishing location of their ships from competing operations!

^[1] http://www.worldfishing.net/features101/product-library/electronics/electronic-logbooks/iridium-for-fisheries-an-ideal-choice
^[2] http://www.worldfishing.net/features101/product-library/electronics/communications/making-technology-work-harder-and-cheaper
^[3] http://www.nffo.org.uk/news/damanaki2011.html
^[4] http://www.knowyourmobile.com/blog/930082/schoolboy_13_invents_door_bell_to_trick_burglars.html