Climate Change Adaptation Aid for Small-Scale Fisheries via Data Hub Infrastructure
In a significant stride towards sustainable fisheries management, Peskas—an open-source digital system—is being expanded to various countries, aiming to provide near real-time monitoring and management of small-scale fisheries. The system, which was first developed in Timor-Leste in 2016, is now being implemented in Zanzibar, Malaysia, Malawi, Kenya, and Mozambique, with emerging interest from Brunei, Djibouti, and Ethiopia.
The primary purpose of Peskas is to offer timely, accurate data on fishing activities, including catch species, weight, fishing grounds, and effort. This data is crucial for supporting fisheries management, policy decisions, and the livelihoods of small-scale fishers, particularly in the face of climate change.
In Zanzibar, for instance, around 100 fishing boats are equipped with GPS trackers, and at approximately 30 landing sites, data collectors use tablets to record detailed catch information. Peskas then analyses and visualises this information, allowing authorities and communities to see fishing grounds and productivity in near real-time. This data integration helps governments meet their fisheries management obligations and improves transparency in fishery resources use.
In Malaysia, Peskas has been piloted with support from local NGOs to verify fishers’ operations, improve licensing processes, and reduce abuse of subsidized resources like fuel and allowances. Beyond catch monitoring, Peskas is part of a broader digital hub initiative led by CGIAR and WorldFish that integrates multiple data streams, including aquatic animal health, aquaculture, household nutrition, and women's empowerment.
The platform also incorporates advanced features such as AI-enhanced species recognition for faster, more accurate catch reporting, large language model interfaces to provide plain-language insights from fisheries data in real time, and AI tools for route optimization to reduce fuel use and carbon emissions.
Peskas emphasises the co-design principle, ensuring tools are developed with input from fishers themselves so that the system reflects their needs and realities. By transforming guesswork into actionable data and enabling data-driven, adaptive fishing practices, Peskas empowers small-scale fishing communities to better navigate the challenges posed by climate change and improve sustainability worldwide.
Before Peskas, data were recorded on paper and only reported annually in Zanzibar, limiting timely insights for decision-makers. With Peskas, this data gap is being addressed, paving the way for more informed decision-making in the management of small-scale fisheries.
[1] CGIAR [2] WorldFish [3] Peskas [4] JARING
- The platform, Peskas, is integrated into a broader digital hub initiative led by CGIAR and WorldFish, which also incorporates multiple data streams like aquatic animal health, aquaculture, household nutrition, and women's empowerment.
- In the face of climate change, the data provided by Peskas is crucial for supporting fisheries management, policy decisions, and the livelihoods of small-scale fishers, as it offers timely, accurate data on fishing activities.
- Peskas, with its advanced features such as AI-enhanced species recognition, large language model interfaces, and AI tools for route optimization, aims to empower small-scale fishing communities to better navigate the challenges posed by climate change and improve sustainability worldwide.
- The centre for Advanced Networking and Multimedia Applications (JARING) in Malaysia is supporting the implementation of Peskas, helping to verify fishers’ operations, improve licensing processes, and reduce abuse of subsidized resources like fuel and allowances.
