Fishery Management System

Part of the worlds-biggest-software-project initiative.

An open, AI-native platform for catch tracking, quota management, vessel monitoring, and sustainability compliance across wild-capture fisheries.

The Fishery Management System brings electronic catch reporting, vessel monitoring, and regulatory compliance into a single open-source platform. It targets national fisheries authorities, commercial fishing operators, seafood processors, and conservation NGOs who today rely on costly bespoke government contracts or fragmented point tools. The project closes the gap between heavy enterprise/government suites and small-scale fishers who lack accessible tooling.

Why Fishery Management System?

Incumbents like Trackwell FIMS, THEMIS (CLS Fisheries), and Fishery Solution are sold almost exclusively as custom government contracts in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars range, locking out smaller operators and NGOs.
Existing fisher-facing tools such as eCatch vary in jurisdictional integration depth, and ERP-based suites like Inecta are too operationally heavy for smaller fleets.
Small-scale and artisanal fishers are an underserved segment — most existing systems are designed for national administrations or large commercial operators.
IUU (illegal, unreported, unregulated) fishing detection, supply-chain traceability to consumer, and ecosystem impact quantification are widely identified gaps in the current incumbent landscape.
Regulatory pressure is rising: from 2026 EU rules mandate electronic recording of sensitive-species bycatch, and MSC chain-of-custody requirements are pushing traceability back to the vessel level — an open platform lowers the cost of compliance.

Key Features

Vessel Monitoring & Tracking

Vessel monitoring system (VMS) with position history
Real-time AIS-based vessel position tracking
Fleet management and performance analytics
Integration with oceanographic and weather data

Catch Logging & Reporting

Electronic catch logging with species, quantity, and location
Multi-species catch composition tracking
Bycatch and sensitive-species recording with compliance support
Fisher and operator mobile/web interface for data entry
Regulatory reporting and submission workflows

Quota & Compliance

Quota tracking and compliance alerts
Audit trail for regulatory evidence
Port state control and inspection workflows
Real-time alert system for quota limits
International data exchange via FLUX

Sustainability & Market Access

MSC traceability chain-of-custody documentation
Market access documentation generation (e.g. EU Catch Certificate)
Observer monitoring with electronic logbook integration
Basic analytics dashboard for catch and fleet data

AI-Native Advantage

AI is applied where incumbents rely on manual observers, slow scientific surveys, or paper-based audits. Computer vision on onboard camera footage can automatically identify, count, and size catch species at the point of catch, replacing costly human observers and reducing bycatch under-reporting. AIS-based dark-vessel analysis combines gap detection, behavioural pattern recognition, and IUU-vessel cross-referencing to flag illegal fishing. Predictive stock-assessment models integrate catch records, oceanographic data, and historical surveys to deliver more timely biomass estimates than annual scientific cycles, while automated MSC/ASC documentation packaging reduces compliance burden for operators.

Tech Stack & Deployment

The platform is intended to be deployable as both self-hosted and SaaS, supporting national fisheries administrations as well as individual operators and cooperatives. It aligns with the FLUX (UN/CEFACT) international fisheries data-exchange standard, AIS for vessel positions, and the reporting frameworks of NOAA Electronic Reporting and the EU Common Fisheries Policy. MSC, ASC, and the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries inform the sustainability data model. Mobile and web clients are expected for fishers and inspectors, with FishBase/SeaLifeBase as the species reference source.

Market Context

The global fisheries management and monitoring software segment is estimated at USD 1–3 billion within a wider aquaculture market exceeding USD 300 billion, growing roughly 8–10% CAGR driven by regulatory mandates and IUU enforcement (research.md). Government-facing systems are tendered as multi-year contracts in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, while aquaculture management tools range from $10,000 to $100,000+ per year. Primary buyers are national fisheries authorities, commercial fishing companies, seafood processors needing MSC chain-of-custody, port authorities and coast guards, and conservation NGOs.

Project Status

This project is in the research and specification phase.
Contributions, feedback, and domain expertise are welcome.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from developers, domain experts, and potential users. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Important: All contributions must be your own original work or clearly attributed open-source material with a compatible licence. Copyright infringement and licence violations will not be tolerated and will result in immediate removal of the offending contribution. If you are unsure whether a piece of code, text, or other material is safe to contribute, open an issue and ask before submitting.

Licence

Licence to be determined. See discussion for context.