Digital Innovation in Small-Scale Fisheries: A Catalyst for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Addressing Vulnerabilities in Global Food Systems

Small-scale fisheries, which account for approximately 40% of the global fish catch, represent one of the food production systems most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A significant data gap has historically hindered government efforts to support fishers in adaptation. To address this challenge, the global research partnership CGIAR has launched its Asia Digital Hub, a collaborative initiative aimed at developing and scaling digital solutions for food systems. This initiative directly supports the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by enhancing resilience, sustainability, and equity in the fisheries sector.

The Peskas Initiative: A Tool for Sustainable Management and SDG 14

A key tool developed by the Hub is Peskas, an open-source system designed for the near real-time monitoring of small-scale fisheries. This technology is instrumental in advancing SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by providing the critical data needed for sustainable resource management.

• Peskas replaces traditional, paper-based annual reporting with an automated digital system.
• It allows for the real-time tracking of fishing boats and the digital recording of catch information, including species, weight, and length.
• The system analyzes and displays key statistics, such as the location and productivity of fishing grounds.
• By providing timely and reliable information, Peskas empowers decision-makers to manage fisheries more effectively and meet national and international reporting obligations.

Implementation and Socio-Economic Impact

The Peskas system, first developed in Timor-Leste in 2016, is being implemented and expanded in several countries, demonstrating its potential to support economic and social development goals.

1. Zanzibar: In partnership with the government, 100 fishing boats have been equipped with trackers, and data collectors at 30 landing sites use tablets to record catch data. This integration provides decision-makers with the information needed for improved management.
2. Malaysia: A pilot program with the Malaysian Inshore Fishermen Association for Education and Welfare (JARING) demonstrated how the data can be used to verify fishers’ operations. This contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by helping to prevent the abuse of subsidized fuel and living allowances, ensuring resources reach their intended recipients.
3. Expansion: The system is being expanded to Malawi, Kenya, and Mozambique, with further interest from Brunei, Djibouti, and Ethiopia.

A Holistic Approach to Climate Resilience and Food Security

The Asia Digital Hub’s mandate extends beyond catch monitoring to encompass a more integrated approach to food systems, directly contributing to multiple SDGs.

• SDG 13 (Climate Action): The primary goal of the Hub is to provide data and tools that help vulnerable fishing communities adapt to climate change.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): The Hub integrates data on aquatic animal health, aquaculture, and household nutrition to build more resilient and secure food systems.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): A specific focus is placed on collecting and analyzing data related to women’s empowerment within aquatic food systems.

Additional tools, such as a compact genome sequencing toolkit for disease detection and open-access training courses, further promote knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Fostering Global Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

The success and expansion of the Asia Digital Hub exemplify the importance of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The initiative is founded on collaboration between policymakers, scientists, communities, and the private sector.

• The Hub is expected to enhance South-South cooperation, sharing open-source solutions and best practices between Asia and Africa.
• A critical component for success is the participatory design of these digital tools, ensuring they are based on the needs and realities of small-scale fishers.
• This user-centric approach, where fishers are not just data providers but co-designers, is essential for the effective and equitable digital transformation of the sector.

Identified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 14: Life Below Water
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Specific SDG Targets

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers. The article focuses on small-scale fisheries, which constitute “40% of the global fish catch,” and aims to improve their operations through better data and management, which can lead to increased productivity and more stable incomes.
• Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality. The article directly addresses this by introducing the Peskas system to make small-scale fisheries, a key food production system, more sustainable and resilient, explicitly stating its purpose is to “help fishers adapt” to climate change.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women. The article mentions that the Asia Digital Hub looks beyond catch monitoring to “integrate data on… women’s empowerment,” indicating that technology and data are being used to address and track gender-related issues within fishing communities.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The article’s central theme is that small-scale fisheries are “most vulnerable to climate change” and the new data hub and Peskas tool are designed to “help fishers adapt” by providing crucial data for management in a changing environment.

SDG 14: Life Below Water

• Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics. The Peskas system provides “near real-time monitoring of small-scale fisheries” and gives “decision-makers the timely, reliable information they need to manage fisheries better.” This directly supports science-based management plans to regulate harvesting.
• Target 14.b: Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets. By improving the sustainable management of fisheries, the Peskas system helps ensure the long-term availability of marine resources for the small-scale fishers who depend on them for their livelihood. The article notes that the tool helps identify “fishing grounds along with their productivity.”

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Target 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation. The article highlights a global research partnership (CGIAR), the sharing of an open-source technology (Peskas) from Timor-Leste to countries in Africa, and collaboration between international organizations (WorldFish), governments (Zanzibar), and local NGOs (JARING in Malaysia). It explicitly mentions that the hub would lead to “better cooperation between countries in the South.”
• Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources. The Asia Digital Hub is described as a multi-stakeholder partnership that “brings together policymakers, scientists, communities and the private sector to develop and scale digital solutions for food systems.”
• Target 17.18: By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries… to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts. The article’s core purpose is to address the problem that “governments are lacking data.” The Peskas system is designed to fill this gap by replacing annual paper records with “near real-time monitoring” and providing “timely, reliable information.”

Indicators for Measuring Progress

For Target 14.4 (Regulate harvesting and end overfishing)

• Indicator: Data on fish catch including species, weight, and length. The article states that at landing sites, “data collectors use tablets to record catch information including species, weight and length.” This data is essential for assessing the health of fish stocks, which is the basis for Indicator 14.4.1 (Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels).

For Target 17.18 (Availability of timely and reliable data)

• Indicator: Frequency and method of data reporting. The article provides a clear measure of progress by contrasting the old system, where “data were recorded on paper and only reported annually,” with the new Peskas system that allows “near real-time monitoring” and automatic analysis.

For Target 14.b (Access for small-scale fishers)

• Indicator: Number of fishing boats and landing sites integrated into the monitoring system. The article mentions specific numbers, such as “100 fishing boats out of Zanzibar are equipped with trackers and at 30 landing sites, data collectors use tablets to record catch information,” which can be used as a direct indicator of the system’s adoption and reach among small-scale fishers.

For Target 5.b (Promote the empowerment of women)

• Indicator: Integration and analysis of data specifically on women’s empowerment. The article implies this indicator by stating the Hub’s goal to “integrate data on… women’s empowerment,” suggesting that the collection and use of such data is a measure of progress.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

Source: reccessary.com