In the fisheries sector, digital applications are increasingly being used to contribute to a more transparent, sustainable, and better‑regulated industry. For example, camera and sensor technologies on board vessels, combined with data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI), enable the registration and monitoring of catches. These applications support compliance with catch quotas, help reduce bycatch, and contribute to the conservation of fish populations, for instance by enabling the release of bycatch and improving insight into fish stocks.
From an ELSA research perspective, the use of such applications raises important ethical, legal, and societal questions. Privacy and autonomy play a key role, particularly when monitoring technologies deeply affect the daily working environment on fishing vessels. Transparency and trust are also essential considerations. Fishers want to understand how data are interpreted and used—for example in quota allocation, control, or policy development—and what consequences this may have for their business operations.
Through an ELSA Scan, stakeholder dialogues with fishers, and workshops with other key stakeholders, relevant values, risks, and opportunities are carefully identified. This process may lead to recommendations for adaptations in system design, as well as proposals for organisational, legal, and governance arrangements related to data use, oversight, and valorisation.
