Fishermen want satellites to spy on small boats

Electronic trackers should be fitted to all fishing boats to help authorities enforce fisheries regulations, according to fishermen in the South West.

Lobster fisherman and member of the Southern Sea Fisheries Committee David Sales thinks satellite trackers would be a simple solution to the problem of policing areas where certain types of fishing are banned.

He said: “I’ve seen plots of these satellite trackers and it’s amazing what they can do.  They can tell whether a trawler is steaming, whether it’s towing, whether it’s hauling and they can tell exactly where it is.”

The vessel monitoring system (VMS) uses satellites to pinpoint the position of a boat every two hours and is already used on fishing vessels over 15 metres, but not on smaller boats.

Mr Sales wants to see it on every fishing boat and said: “It’s simple, isn’t it?  The technology’s there, why not use it?”

But Marine and Fisheries Agency district inspector Angus Radford said that it would be impractical to fit the system on very small boats.

“There is a long term plan to bring them onto 10 metre vessels, but when you get to a certain size of vessel you have to think about the expense and the practical side of things.  Some don’t have enclosed wheelhouses, so there wouldn’t be anywhere to put the device.”