Abstract
Summary Objectives: This project builds on the Defra funded project (MF1214) developing a low-cost inshore Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). This project will review and analyse the data collected by the 30 vessels equipped with the low-cost VMS system to inform the future development or implementation of the Vessel Monitoring System. The analyses will focus on 5 key areas. 1. Data quality and robustness assessment 2. Recommended logging frequency ranges for potential end-users 3. Assessment of the ability to discriminate fishing vs. non-fishing events 4. Comparison of the low-cost vs. over 15m VMS and future data analysis recommendations 5. Demonstration of the benefits of additional environmental data collection Key Customer Purpose: This project complement MF1214 by analysing the data collected by the 30 vessels equipped with the low-cost VMS system. It is anticipated that this work will benefit and influence the potential future implementation of a low-cost inshore VMS system. The comparison with the existing over 15m VMS system will also provide previously lacking insights into the validity of using this data to estimate fishing effort. It is anticipated that results will be disseminated through the existing MF1214 Steering Group and Communication Channel. The work may also be presented at relevant national or international conferences.
United Kingdom