Overseas
Digital fishing nets to make the Italian fleet even more sustainable, protecting fish stocks and reducing the environmental impact of operations. This is the project presented by Coldiretti Pesca during a workshop at the Villaggio Contadino in Bologna, in collaboration with the company Elica.
Electronic sensors will be installed on fishing nets to let vessels “see” in real time what is being caught, explains Coldiretti Pesca, preventing unintended species from ending up in the mesh. At the same time, the innovation will improve catch management, streamlining maneuvers and, as a result, cutting fuel consumption.
It is true “precision fishing,” on par with the precision agriculture that is spreading across Italian farmlands, driven by a strong push to digitize the sector.
New technologies enable fishing boats to reduce consumption through more efficient propulsion use and to avoid empty hauls by detecting biomass ahead of the net. They also help improve catch quality by signaling if the haul is being damaged by strong currents or foreign objects, and they ensure safer, more digitalized onboard operations thanks to sensors connected to software that collect oceanographic data and help crews monitor gear and fishing activities more effectively. This digital shift for Italian vessels will be tested in both the trawling segment and in purse seining and pair trawling, with trials starting at the beginning of next year.
The project once again demonstrates the commitment of the Italian fleet to sustainability and the protection of fish stocks.
It is a vital sector of Made in Italy at the table, with around 12,000 vessels and 30,000 workers, concludes Coldiretti Pesca, whose future is endangered by climate change, with combined effects that reduce catches and make operating conditions increasingly challenging.
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