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Lobster fishing app could help fishery and environment

The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association is about to start testing a new app that will help keep track of the stock as well as some key environmental factors in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Electronic logging of catches will be mandatory come 2019

Kevin Yarr · CBC News ·
Testing for the app will begin with the new lobster season in May. (Laura Chapin/CBC )

The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association is about to start testing a new app that will help keep track of the stock as well as some key environmental factors in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The PEIFA was prompted to develop the app by incoming Fisheries and Oceans Canada regulations, which require electronic logging of catches starting in 2019. Logs are currently kept on paper.

PEIFA vice-president Mitch Jollimore said his group decided to aim for a made on P.E.I. solution, and partnered with Charlottetown company Thinking Big to design the app, called Open Trip.

"We wanted to create something that was user friendly," Jollimore said.

"When we're going to be transmitting our catch data it would be while we're at sea, so you'll want something that is quick and easy to navigate."

Real-time reports

Having data logged electronically will speed up the data analysis process, and Jollimore expects that will be a benefit for everyone. With the paper system, information on catches is not available until it is almost the next fishing season, he said.

"Hopefully what this will lead to would be more real-time reports on landings," he said.

"[That] would help us with keeping track of the biomass of the species, give us better market research or market analysis on where things are going and what the prices are. I think this will lead to a lot of useful information for the fishermen and for the industry."

It was important that the app be easy to use, says Mitch Jollimore. (Tom Steepe)

The app will also address new regulations that require the reporting of lost gear and sightings of marine mammals or species at risk. Open Trip will make this reporting easier by including real-time GPS marking as the report is made.

If testing goes well this spring, PEIFA is hopeful it will be able to sell the app off-Island. The e-logging regulations are being introduced nationwide, and selling the app to other fishermen and groups will help keep the costs down for local fishermen.

Jollimore expects the costs of running Open Trip for PEIFA members will be no more than the cost of purchasing the paper logbooks.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Yarr

Web journalist

Kevin Yarr is the early morning web journalist at CBC P.E.I. Kevin has a specialty in data journalism, and how statistics relate to the changing lives of Islanders. He has a BSc and a BA from Dalhousie University, and studied journalism at Holland College in Charlottetown. You can reach him at kevin.yarr@cbc.ca.

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