The rise of e-governance and implications for EU fisheries management

Fisheries, one of the most significant anthropogenic pressures on the marine environment, is globally characterised by variable e-governance penetration depending on the specific context. Generally, though, it seems fair to say that penetration remains at the low to moderate level.

Recently, however, Europe has witnessed an increased focus on the potential of ‘fully documented fisheries’ (FDF), an electronic system for monitoring and reporting catches. FDF relies on a suite of emerging and increasingly mature technologies, including on-board cameras, sensors, artificial intelligence and positioning systems, to provide managers and decision-makers with information, both real-time and historic, on what was caught and discarded, legally or illegally, by fishing vessels while at sea.  

Though not yet implemented, this development could potentially be a game-changer for the EU’s fisheries management system, which currently enforces a relatively strict ‘landing obligation’, demanding that fishers land all catches of commercial species – even if the fish is too small to be commercially interesting – to ensure that these are deducted from the fish quotas, thereby disincentivising the catch of the smallest sizes.  

FDF implementation could lead to a situation where all catches are automatically identified by the species type and size, then registered onboard the vessel in real-time, and ultimately deducted from the relevant quota. This could, in principle, enable a system where the fishermen could be allowed to discard the smallest sizes, something that might be easier to do than bringing them to shore, while possibly also allowing some of the discarded fish to survive. 

Potentially, the technologies could also reduce the need for physical control onboard the vessels, reduce the administrative burden on the fishers, and enable the provision of better and more reliable data for fish stock assessments, as well as increase our knowledge of catches of sea creatures of no commercial interest. 

Ultimately, it is possible to imagine a situation where even the relatively detailed rules governing gear choice and configuration could be softened, as many gear restrictions are in place exactly to prevent the catch of undersize fish. If fishers can document undisputedly that they are able to use their gear in a way that avoids the catches of undersized fish, then the need to have detailed gear regulations is significantly reduced, equating to a higher penetration of e-governance.

Not without challenges

FDF has a significant potential, but it also comes with challenges. The current fisheries management system in the EU is generally perceived to be overly top-down, command-control oriented. If FDF turns out to be primarily an instrument for tightening control of existing rules – without perceived benefits to fishers such as simpler regulation or reporting requirements – then the reaped benefits will likely remain limited. It is even possible to imagine FDF reducing legitimacy of management among fishers, who could experience electronic monitoring and reporting as ‘big brother’ style enforcement with negative impacts on work environment and job satisfaction.