Madrid - The Spanish company Satlink, specialized in the development of electronic observation technology for the sustainability of fishing activity, has launched an ambitious training program aimed at observers on board, who are responsible for monitoring compliance with fishing regulations by vessels operating in different regions. With this program, Satlink offers Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs), governments and fleets the possibility of complementing the training of these professionals as analysts of the data and images obtained through the electronic observation systems on board, such as the Satlink SeaTube system.

 

 

With this program, Satlink offers these professionals a future job, in addition to ensuring regulatory compliance, after some fishing commissions, such as the Western and Central Pacific (WCPFC), have eliminated the obligation to board observers on purse-seine vessels, as a consequence of the relay problems caused by COVID-19. This decision affects 800 of these professionals.

 

The Satlink program would allow not only to maintain the jobs of observers in this Pacific area, but also to expand the number of them by a minimum of 25% based on the 5,000 longline and purse seine vessels that operate in it. Likewise, this plan would safeguard sustainable fishing practices that, according to the company, may be at risk as a result of the absence of observers on board.

 

 

Satlink bases its offer on its experience in the development of electronic observation systems on board, capable of continuously recording the activity of vessels to verify compliance with good fishing practices and responsible activity within the vessel. Likewise, the company also bases its proposal on training more than 150 people related to data analysis activities and observers worldwide since 2014. Thanks to Satlink technology, these professionals can generate accurate reports on the composition of catches, their size or the destination of the bycatch, as well as determining the fishing areas.

 

The Spanish company is one of the world leaders in this type of system, with more than 220 facilities for the supervision and management of fishing activity in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, in collaboration with governments, NGOs and shipping companies. Among his most recent projects, those initiated with the governments of the Solomon Islands and Micronesia, countries with economies highly dependent on fishing, stand out. In the case of the Pacific Ocean, Satlink leads this market with more than 20 systems for the supervision of 110 fleet ships from nine countries.

 

According to Faustino Velasco, President of Satlink, "these electronic observation systems not only constitute the main source of accurate, reliable and verified data for the development of more selective fishing practices and the establishment of measures that ensure the sustainability of the stocks, but also fixing and generating employment on land and improving the working conditions of observers in terms of safety on board ships, reconciliation and professional development”.