Barents Sea

Case study Lead: SINTEF​

List of CS partners: MELBU, CATCHWISE​

External collaborators: Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries, vessels and skippers TBD

Case study in Barents Sea involves two technologies developed by Norwegian SMEs:​

  • Catchwise software DSS extension – part of Catch Advisor, by Catchwise.​
  • Next-generation CatchScanner – part of AI Decide, by Melbu Systems.

Key challenges in Norwegian whitefish fisheries:​

  • Knowing where to fish to minimize bycatch, including juveniles.​
  • Knowing exactly how much was caught of each species and size group immediately after fish is onboard, including bycatch fraction.​
  • Knowing how to optimize fishing efforts to reduce environmental impact (e.g. CO2) during fish finding.​
  • Provide the fishers with the best possible information in a timely manner, to support the decision-making before and during fishing activities, in a way that complements existing tools and experience.

Main activities and solutions

Catchwise DSS bycatch extension, from TRL 7-9:

  • Already displays rich historical and contemporary data sources from Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries (ERS, VMS, landings data), Kystverket (AIS), and Copernicus Marine Service. ​
  • Develop AI to predict bycatch from historical landings and oceanographic data, and overlay predictions on map. ​
  • Operational decision support before or during fishing, to assist in locating targeted species and sizes, while avoiding unwanted bycatch.​
  • Will be tested using Catchwise’s existing client base.

Next-generation CatchScanner from TRL 7 to 9

  • Imrove reliability and efficiency and demonstrate in an operational environment; fishing vessel​
  • To provide real-time catch registration to the bridge and combine with current location and gear used -> enable real-time decisions to avoid unwanted catches​
  • Enhance registration accuracy to a level acceptable for local management authorities