Using Drones for Sustainable Fisheries

Editor/Mohamed Shihab

A recent research article published in Sustainable Futures (Elsevier) explores fisherfolk attitudes towards using drones to promote sustainable fishing practices in a coastal community.

Highlights

Fishing plays a vital role in livelihoods and sustainable development.Unsustainable practices and environmental shocks threaten this potential.Drone technology has been proposed as a solution to enhance sustainable fishing, but research on fishing zones and fisherfolk attitudes remains limited.Coastal fishermen demonstrated a positive attitude towards the use of drones.The success of drone technology in promoting sustainability depends on fisherfolk attitudes and regional adaptability.

Fishing is essential for both livelihoods and development, yet unsustainable practices and environmental shocks undermine this potential. The limited research on how technology—particularly drones—can support sustainable fishing adds to the challenge. This study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach, involving 48 fishermen from Alappad, Kerala. The findings indicate that these fishermen primarily rely on either unsustainable or traditional fishing methods. However, with growing familiarity with modern technologies, they showed positive attitudes towards drone use. Based on these insights, The authors identified key characteristics for the design of drones that could support sustainable, localized fishing. Successful adoption of drone technology depends heavily on the positive attitudes of fishermen.

Fishing, both marine and freshwater, is widely seen as a pillar for sustainable development and achieving global sustainability targets. Fishing not only supports livelihoods through employment and food production but also contributes significantly to national and global GDP via the fish trade. In 2020, global fisheries production (including aquaculture) was valued at USD 424 billion, with approximately 58.5 million people employed in primary fishing activities—21% of whom were women. These livelihood benefits are crucial for the attainment of the "blue transformation" agenda, which includes socioeconomic sustainability and equity, particularly among vulnerable fishing communities in the global South, where over 80% of coastal populations rely on fishing.

Despite the recognition of the economic and social benefits of sustainable fishing, efforts to implement sustainable practices in developing countries have been slow and often ineffective. This disconnect is particularly evident in small-scale and tropical fishing zones, where unsustainable practices and overfishing are compounded by environmental shocks, such as climate change. According to the FAO, 35.4% of global fish stocks are overfished, heightening the risk of marine fisheries collapse. The presence of Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) fleets, primarily from developed nations, exacerbates these challenges by engaging in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and undermining efforts to promote sustainable practices.

In response to these growing challenges, there has been a global shift towards sustainable fisheries governance, emphasizing evidence-based research, technological innovation, and capacity building. The FAO's "Blue Transformation" paradigm highlights the importance of novel technologies, including drones, in supporting sustainable fisheries management. These innovations are integral to achieving global goals outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).

Drones and Their Role in Sustainable Fishing

Recent research has positioned drones as a valuable tool in advancing sustainable fisheries. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), can gather visual data over large areas, aiding in fish stock monitoring, catch assessment, and fisheries management. These technologies are increasingly accessible and cost-effective, making them viable for small-scale fisherfolk in diverse environments.

Drones have already proven effective in various fields, such as precision farming, disaster management, and urban planning. In the context of fishing, UAVs can monitor fishing zones, detect illegal fishing activities, and even help locate key fish populations, thereby reducing fishing efforts and costs. For fisheries managers, drones offer accurate and real-time data, especially for monitoring marine biodiversity hotspots and high-risk areas like coral reefs.

In regions like Australia, the USA, and Spain, drones have been successfully used to monitor marine protected areas (MPAs) and reduce the environmental impact of fishing. Fisherfolk in these regions have generally accepted drone use, recognizing the technology's potential to improve safety at sea and enhance fishing accuracy. Drones have also proven useful in species monitoring, such as humpback whales in Australia and fish behavior analysis in Alaska and Florida.

However, while the benefits of drones in sustainable fishing are well-documented in developed countries, their adoption in poorer coastal communities, particularly in the tropics, remains limited. Traditional fishing practices persist in many regions due to cultural preferences, high costs, and limited access to technology. Additionally, regulatory challenges, such as restrictions on drone use for security reasons, hinder widespread adoption in these areas

Study Overview and Aims

This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on drone technology's potential by exploring fisherfolk attitudes in the Alappad coastal village of Kerala, India. The study is particularly timely as fisherfolk in coastal India face increasing vulnerability due to environmental and human-induced challenges. Additionally, the rising tech-savviness of these communities, driven by increased use of mobile devices, makes them well-positioned to explore innovative fishing technologies.

To understand fisherfolk attitudes, the study focused on two key areas:

(i) their fishing practices, including the types of boats and technologies used, challenges faced, and current initiatives in place;

and (ii) their knowledge and experience with modern technologies, specifically drones, including how they currently locate fish.

This understanding allowed for the co-design of feasible drone strategies that align with local needs and support sustainable fishing efforts.

The study's findings are expected to inform future efforts to develop regionally appropriate drone technologies that can support sustainable fishing practices and contribute to the global "blue transformation" agenda