Perspectives on the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems as Tools for Small‐Scale Fisheries Research and Management

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used in marine wildlife research and have rapidly expanded across many scientific disciplines. As recent technological developments have improved the versatility and functionality of UAVs, the potential of these systems for research on small‐scale and artisanal fisheries has grown considerably, although this potential is still underexploited. However, there is growing interest in the application of cost‐effective UAVs for aerial surveys of fishery activities, but few empirical studies have produced reliable findings to aid the development of effective management actions. Common challenges for effective management include funding limitations and problems related to survey design, coverage, and implementation. In this context, aerial devices have the capacity to fill a niche for intensive fine‐scale sampling in which data gathering strategies need to be tailored to specific operational requirements. Detailed documentation and monitoring of harvest processes and fisheries practices by UAVs can provide important insights into fishing gear and techniques (e.g., gillnets and seine nets), the operation of stationary artisanal fishing devices (e.g., traps and tidal fishing weirs), area coverage, fishery territories, and the number of fishers and/or fleet size. Here, we present and discuss the potential use of UAVs for surveying small‐scale fishing activities as a complement to traditional research methods (e.g., fishery‐dependent approaches, such as landing monitoring, electronic logbooks, dealer reports, dockside intercepts, and fishery cruises). We predict that the use of UAV as a fishery survey tool will become increasingly widespread as the technology and associated methods are refined and become more affordable with potential to generate significant advances in fishery management practices.