Interview: Fishery rules revamp will protect species and legitimate fishers

AI and high-tech are at the forefront of a push by European authorities to crackdown on illegal fishing

Transcript

00:00We really go to a fully digitalized fisheries control environment.

00:09We are a bit revamping the control regulation,

00:12going towards a digitalization of fisheries control,

00:17introducing new technologies to record what's happening at sea,

00:21but also helping the people that have to inspect the fishing vessels

00:26to enforce the fisheries control regulation at member state level.

00:33VMS will be expanded to the entire fleet.

00:37We will also gradually include also the small scale fisheries.

00:41This is the same for the catch registration.

00:44This will also be expanded, even up to including recreational fisheries,

00:51so that we really have a full picture, a full mapping of what is happening.

00:56We have a focus, as always, on fighting illegal fisheries,

01:01so the illegal, unreported, unregulated fisheries,

01:04to give the chance to the people that want to follow the rules

01:08to also prove that they actually follow the rules.

01:11And this is one of the main points,

01:13is that this digitalization will take away any doubt

01:16with the fishermen that are playing with the rules

01:19that they are doing the right thing.

01:22Like that, we will be able to concentrate on the wrongdoers, the real issues.