Publication Abstract

Developing the use of satellite Vessel Monitoring System data in spatial management

C. Mills, S.I. Rogers, M.L. Tasker, P.D. Eastwood and G.J. Piet

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data are used throughout European waters to track the location of selected fishing vessels by GPS, and contribute to the monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries. This paper describes the processing methods used to identify the locations where fishing activity (rather than steaming) occurs, and to calculate fishing effort distributions using kernel density estimation in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Effort data were used to quantify the relative intensity of trawling on different seabed habitats in UK parts of the Irish Sea, using 100% coverage vector maps of coastal and offshore marine landscapes. Results suggest that trawling activity in the Irish Sea is most intense on coarse sediment plains and in deep-water mud basins, and that some smaller features, particularly mounds and gravel banks, are fished infrequently. The implications of these results for the selection and protection of habitats and species of nature conservation interest are discussed. Particularly sensitive species and habitats are increasingly being protected by area closures to prevent access by damaging gears. Under such circumstances, VMS can be used to enforce the closure, and monitor infringements. Important considerations when planning the closure are the size of the area in relation to (a) the feature that needs protection, and (b) the frequency with which VMS signals the position of nearby fishing vessels. Infrequent vessel position signals require larger areas, and vice versa. A number of realistic scenarios are used to illustrate this point. Possible developments of VMS that would improve habitat protection are discussed.

Reference:

C. Mills, S.I. Rogers, M.L. Tasker, P.D. Eastwood and G.J. Piet. 2004. Developing the use of satellite Vessel Monitoring System data in spatial management. ICES CM 2004/Y:05