STARFISH 4.0 Wins EU Blue Economy Grant to Trial Innovative Technology for Small-Scale Fishers

CLS and its partners APC and ERC are thrilled to announce that our STARFISH 4.0 project is one of 26 sustainable blue economy projects selected for funding by the EU Commission under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).  In all, the EU has awarded €19.1 million to accelerate the sustainable development of the Blue Economy and support its maritime policy goals. STARFISH 4.0 is a 2-year project (2020-2021) to demo an autonomous connected device and digital tools in order to improve the safety of artisanal fishermen and the sustainable management of small-scale fisheries.

Small scale fisheries (SSF) play an important role in the European Union from an environmental, economic and social perspective, amounting to 85% of all fishing vessels. But SSF are not currently monitored as large, industrial fishing vessels are. To solve this gap, STARFISH 4.0 trials innovative system for small-scale fishers in real operational conditions at sea. The general goal is to refine the product through user feedback. This demo will support fishermen in developing new practices and adopting new 4.0 technologies, fostering a culture of compliance. Fisheries managers and scientists will gain precious information about SSF fishing activities, which will serve as crucial decision-making tools for sustainably managing resources.

Key Facts: Small-Scale Fishing in Europe

85 %

of fishing vessels in the Mediterranean & Black Seas

700,000

Estimated number of small fishing vessels (under 12m) in Europe

15,000

Estimated number of small fishing vessels (under 12m) in Greece

The STARFISH 4.0 Project

STARFISH 4.0 demo trials CLS’ NEMO system in conjunction with APC in Greece and ERC in Mauritania. NEMO includes a robust, low-cost VMS transponder with satellite-mobile communications, a Big Data software platform, and mobile applications for fishermen.

100 fishermen in Greece and 50 fishermen in Mauritania will be involved for 18 months to test the device and apps at sea. Their feedback will be collected through several questionnaires, which will be used to further refine and improve the product. As this product also includes mobile applications dedicated to fishermen families, shipowners, distributors and authorities, these stakeholders will also be surveyed.