Towards a global Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network (FVON): state of the art and future directions

Abstract

Ocean observations are the foundation of our understanding of ocean processes. Improving these observations has critical implications for our ability to sustainably derive food from the ocean, predict extreme weather events that take a toll on human life, and produce the goods and services that are needed to meet the needs of a vast and growing population. While there have been great leaps forward in sustained operational monitoring of our oceans there are still key data gaps which result in sub-optimal ocean management and policy decisions. The global fishing industry represents a vast opportunity to create a paradigm shift in how ocean data are collected: the spatio-temporal extent of ocean data gaps overlaps significantly with fishers’ activities; fishing vessels are suitable platforms of opportunity to host communications and sensor equipment; and many fishing vessels effectively conduct a depth-profile through the water column in the course of normal fishing activities, representing a powerful subsurface data collection opportunity. Fishing vessel-collected ocean data can complement existing ocean observing networks by enabling the cost-effective collection of vast amounts of subsurface ocean information in data-sparse regions. There is an emerging global network of fishing vessels participating in collaborative efforts to collect oceanographic data accelerated by innovations in enabling technologies. While there are clear opportunities that arise from partnering with fishing vessels, there are also challenges ranging from geographic and cultural differences in fleets, fishing methods and practices, data processing and management for heterogeneous data, as well as long term engagement of the fishers. To advance fishing vessel-based ocean observation on a global scale, the Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network (FVON) aims to maximize data value, establish best practices around data collection and management, and facilitate observation uptake. FVON’s ultimate goals are to foster collaborative fishing vessel-based observations, democratize ocean observation, improve ocean predictions and forecasts, promote sustainable fishing, and power a data-driven blue economy.

Assessing the impact of subsurface temperature observations from fishing vessels on temperature and heat content estimates in shelf seas: a New Zealand case study using Observing System Simulation Experiments

“…Specifically, the sensitivity of MHW onset to the ocean's subsurface structure was revealed in , highlighting the importance of correct subsurface representation for MHW predictability. Fishing vessels as providers of subsurface observations provide a new frontier of in situ data, particularly in coastal and shelf seas (Van Vranken et al, 2023), and we must develop the skills to effectively make use of the data to improve model estimates and predictions. Our future work aims to address the properties of the background error covariance matrix to optimize the influence of spatially and temporally inhomogeneous observations, with a focus on improving subsurface representation.…”

Quantifying the spatial nonstationary response of environmental factors on purse seine tuna vessel fishing

“…Environmental variables influence the distribution of tuna habitats. Within the realm of modern fisheries practices, the utilization of marine environmental information by ship captains to identify propitious fishing locations has emerged as a critical strategy for augmenting fishing efficiency and sustainability [ 44 , 45 ]. The results suggest that the SST and Pp200 are also critical environmental variables influencing the spatial distribution of tuna purse seine fishing vessel operation in the WCPO, followed by the concentration of dissolved oxygen on the sea surface and at 100 and 200 m.…”

Moana Project: lessons learned from a national scale transdisciplinary research project

“…• Look outside your borders. The success of the Mangopare system was an important motivator for the formation of the Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network (Van Vranken et al, 2023) that collaborates with scientists across the globe. • Genuine respect is essential.…”