The Ikasavea App can provide valuable information on the catch sold at any selling point. Photo: SPC
A digital application is making waves by monitoring coastal fisheries species sold in markets around the region.
The Ikasavea App can provide valuable information on the catch sold at any selling point, including markets, shops, and roadside stands.
Developed by the Pacific Community (SPC), the app is the first of its kind in the Pacific and is set to revolutionise the way market, landing and community surveys are conducted.
Its unique features provide valuable insights into coastal fisheries and improve data collection for better decision-making.
SPC's Senior Coastal Fisheries Scientist Andrew Halford said this year the application has been further strengthened with the development of a way to also identify invertebrates.
"One of the bigger breakthroughs is we spent quite a bit of time working with invertebrates as well, such as lobsters and mud crabs," Dr Halford said.
Dr Andrew Halford Photo: SPC
Images are taken by fisheries officers who visit markets to inspect catch numbers and sizes.
The fish or invertebrate caught must be measured and weighed which will then determine the species' ID.
The officer must then put the weight of the scale and size as well as the species into the data base.
Results can be recorded offline and then uploaded, allowing for a large data base to be uploaded from remote parts of the region.
This gives fishery sectors an idea of the current state of coastal fishing.
Dr Halford said that small but regular data-gathering is key.
"A smaller amount of data, but collecting it well and collecting it regularly gives you the power to deduce so much more.
"That's the overall context of where this system is going," he said.
Fiji uses the app as a biological reference point.
Based on various information on the species, the Fiji Fisheries Department was able to develop a graph which shows whether the fish was overfished or not, Halford said.
As a result Fiji has changed the length of maturity several times for different species using the app.
Hundreds of delegates from 25 countries gathered at a fisheries meeting recently to discuss climate change impact, the member's priorities for fishing development and the presentation of tools to help with these priorities such as the Ikasavea App.
The app's first trial was in 2019 and its first version was released on Android in 2020.
The application is now also being used in Samoa, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Tonga, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Nauru.