Solution Scope: Monitoring & Tracking Technologies (satellite)

Target Contaminant: Plastics & Other Litter (ADLFG) 

Solution Provider or Contact Point: CIIMAR, Project Coordinator Sandra Ramos (ssramos@ciimar.up.pt)  

Project: NETTAG+ – Preventing, Avoiding and Mitigating Environmental Impacts of Fishing Gear and Associated Marine Litter

ITS Description: The ITS is a direct result of the NETTAG+ project’s AVOID solution and consists of a gear location system using acoustic tags and a robotic surface system (IRIS) designed to avoid the loss of fishing gear. The gear location system (MyGearTag) comprises one or more miniature, low-cost acoustic tags (transponders), to be attached to a fishing gear, a Surface Locator Unit (SLU), which is deployed and operated from any available vessel, and a mobile application. Each tag has a unique address (ID) and it will only respond to this. The SLU has an acoustic transducer which is lowered into the water and GPS receiver. It is controlled by an easy-to-use app which guides the user through the location process. The main technological goal is to produce acoustic transponder technology that is far more affordable, far smaller and with long battery life. This will enable the widespread tagging of fishing gear and greatly improve the location and recovery rate of lost gear. IRIS is a small Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) with multiple acoustic systems (such as a scanning sonar, a multibeam sonar, two full HD cameras and lightning) and the ability to track the acoustic tag for the location/recovery of lost fishing gear.

Correspondence with BMM OIR (sectoral priorities, R&I activities, gaps, needs): This ITS responds to an R&I gap for both elimination & remediation and monitoring & control, namely through the development high-resolution acoustics for the detection and localisation of gears. It also responds to a technological challenge listed in the BMM OIR for the fisheries sector. This includes the tackling of plastics & microplastics contamination via the impact of fishing gear, particularly through the development of tag & tracks of nets and gear, with emphasis on finding and recover.