Applications of Marine Broadband Framework for coastal fishing

Abstract

With the objective of promoting sustainable costal fishing, we propose a transition to ICT-based fishing that uses real-time information. In this report, we introduce an information and communications technology (ICT)-based approach to sea cucumber dredge net fishing that uses “Marine Broadband Framework”, a wireless network environment that can be used in coastal areas. In association with the Fisheries Research Institute, we analyzed handwritten daily operation logs and GPS log data from small fishing vessels from 2007 in order to conduct a resource evaluation of sea cucumbers. Until 2009, the resource evaluation was carried out all at once after the fishing season had ended. The sea cucumber resource distribution and fishing grounds usage rate was then presented to the fishermen in an easily readable map form, but it was not possible to use the resource evaluation results to adjust fishing operations during the fishing season; thus, the development of a method for more timely resource evaluation became an important task. In 2010, we introduced daily operation logs that can be input using a touch panel PC. By using Marine Broadband Framework to collect the operation information and positioning information in real time, we were able to construct a system to conduct weekly resource evaluations. Moreover, we are supporting the fishing operations by developing a global positioning system (GPS) plotter with simplified geographic information system (GIS) functionality that can display each type of map from the resource evaluation results as its background image. Currently, the digital daily operation logging system and GPS plotter with simplified GIS functionality have been installed on three small fishing vessels and weekly real-time resource evaluations are being performed. Moreover, by sharing the operations information and positioning information in real time between the three vessels, cooperative operations are underway with the objective of making operations more efficient and protecting and managing the sea cucumber resources. With the construction of wireless networking environments in coastal areas, such as Marine Broadband Framework, we believe that next-generation GPS plotters will become the primary information device on small fishing vessels in the future. We are continuing development of the next-generation GPS plotter, which uses Linux and has network functionality.