SuccorfishM2M RFID monitoring technology is helping Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (D&S IFCA) to monitor, manager and control the use of recreational lobster pots under new potting permit byelaws.
Designed specifically for the fishing industry, the automated radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are securely attached to each pot. The tags will enable D&S IFCA to monitor and record the location of fishing activity by individual recreational fishermen for the first time, as well as identify and remove any pots that do not have permission to be in the water.
“SuccorfishM2M provides the most efficient fisheries management and data collection tools so that organisations like Devon and Severn IFCA can successfully implement and monitor fishing activities and deliver sustainable fisheries management,” said Tom Rossiter, head of marine, SuccorfishM2M.
“This is a real, industry-led and cost effective solution that is of mutual benefit to both the fishermen and the marine authorities, and can be easily rolled out to other areas,” he added.
Fishermen who have been allocated a potting permit will now be supplied with the tags to attach them to each pot. Marine enforcement officers are then able to scan each pot using a hand-held RFID reader to ensure that only those fishermen with permits are operational within their jurisdiction. Any pots without a tag will be removed from the water, therefore significantly reducing illegal fishing practices and improving activities for other fishermen.
This is the first time that automated RFIS technology has been used by a UK inshore authority for byelaw purposes and is seen as an effective solutions for sustainable fishing.
SuccorfishM2M provides machine-to-machine (M2M) hardware, software and data communication systems for the international commercial fisheries industry.
D&S IFCA covers the north and south Devon coast and the Severn as far as the tide flows.
