Towards modern, integrated, and effective fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) systems

The implementation of the revised Fisheries Control Regulation (EU Regulation 2023/2842) and relevant implementing and delegating acts require tools to identify patterns, anomalies, trends and detect inconsistencies in electronic reporting (validation and cross-checking of data) at high spatial and temporal resolution, supporting more effective fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance. Moreover, it requires secure, tamper-resistant, accurate and innovative vessel tracking systems tailored for the specificities of different types of fisheries such as, small-scale fisheries. These systems need to ensure reliable monitoring, be cost-effective and easily deployed and maintained. In addition, monitoring and controlling the catch reporting by millions of recreational fishers in European waters and estimating the ecological impact of recreational fisheries requires new and effective strategies and tools.

The new European fisheries control system also calls for innovative remote sensing technology and satellite imaging systems equipped with automatic detection abilities. These tools are needed to monitor and control fishing operations, complement and cross check data from fisheries observers, and verify compliance with regulations. Such tools will also help to identify and combat IUU fishing activities (e.g. detecting illegal transhipments, illegal discards, unauthorised gear use, and unlicensed fishing) in EU waters and beyond and improve the European maritime situational awareness.

Funded projects should firstly focus on extending data collection to encompass SSF, recreational fisheries and long-distance fisheries, enhancing MCS capabilities. Secondly, funded projects should develop, and test user-friendly technologies tailored for these sectors, while striving to reduce associated costs. Thirdly, funded projects should devise innovative MCS methods to improve efficiency alongside advancements in remote monitoring and surveillance technologies to support the effective implementation of relevant fisheries regulations and combat IUU fishing practices in these sectors. Fourthly, funded projects should emphasise the development of technology for automatic real-time data collection, including the vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and other vessel tracking technologies, and explore opportunities for interconnecting vessel tracking position, electronic monitoring systems and e-logbooks to enhance data resolution and expand their usage in SSF and long-distance fisheries. Finally, funded projects should focus on applications of artificial intelligence technologies for mining information and data deriving from various monitoring technologies in a timely and cost-efficient manner, for the purpose of supporting effective data collection and cross verification, as well as, monitoring of compliance with applicable fisheries rules and regulations.

Funded projects should also include solutions to directly gather data from fishing activities, including data required under the DCF and for the meaningful application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management, such as data on biological, environmental, economic, social aspects of the fisheries and basic information on the fishers, vessels, and gear.

Successful proposals are expected to contribute to increase the number of datasets in fisheries dependent data, also including non-commercial species and discards, while ensuring data collection standardisation as well as harmonisation of process and methods on how data are handled to support small scale fisheries data collection.

Successful proposals are expected to take an integrated approach, encompassing the development of new fisheries monitoring and data collection and analysis for SSF, recreational fisheries and long-distance fisheries. Funded projects should showcase the expected outcomes through four case studies covering the following:

• EU SSF in European Seas (Mediterranean Sea or Baltic Sea or Black Sea or North East Atlantic);
• EU SSF in EU Outermost Regions[[https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/themes/outermost-regions_en]];
• recreational fisheries in EU waters;
• EU long-distance fisheries in the Indian Ocean or the Pacific Ocean.

Additional case studies can be included.

Proposals should include, in all stages (from conceptual development until the implementation of the outcomes) the involvement of fishers, other relevant actors, including citizens, and end users.

Proposals are encouraged to cooperate with actors such as the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The possible participation of the JRC in the project would consist in providing and/or analysing fisheries data.

Proposals should consider the 2024 recommendations provided by the Strategic Working group on Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (SCAR-Fish[[https://scar-europe.org/fish-documents]]). Proposals are expected to allocate specific tasks and resources to link with relevant Horizon Europe projects, such as Fish-X, EveryFish, and OptiFish, and projects on the Digital Twin Ocean such as SURIMI and SEADITO as well as projects focusing on observing and mapping biodiversity coastal and marine ecosystems, such as OBAMA-NEXT, MARCO-BOLO and DiverSea and other biodiversity projects such as B-USEFUL.

Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable). When possible, data should become available through the European Marine Observation and Data network, ensuring their further availability for the development of fisheries management related applications through the EU Digital Twin Ocean core infrastructure (EDITO). Proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant data spaces.