SYSTEM, APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND SHARING FISHING CATCH REPORTING AND MONITORING DATA

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[001] The present invention relates to the seafood industry. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of seafood catch reporting and monitoring, and a system and apparatus for facilitating same.

BACKGROUND

[002] The seafood industry is facing many challenges in its ability to demonstrate that its product is authentic and being ethically caught while at the same time ensuring that the industry itself is sustainable. This is especially true for the wild catch where it is extremely difficult to show, in a reliable manner, that fish are being caught legally and ethically, and that bycatch (the unintentional catch of undesired fish during the act of fishing) is being avoided; overfishing of certain species is a real concern. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated ("IUU") fishing is a major contributor to a global decline in fish stocks and the destruction of fragile marine ecosystems. It is difficult to know for certain where and when any given vessel was fishing, and in what manner. Even for those fishers that would willingly participate in the collection of catch data, either for their own purposes or for compliance monitoring purposes, the quantity and the quality of the data is inconsistent and unreliable, and implementing systems for collecting such data is either onerous or impossible.

[003] The harsh conditions and busy act of fishing make it difficult to collect the data without either imposing unnatural acts on the fishers themselves, e.g., having to lay individual fish on a measuring board in camera-shot, separate-out fish species during the act of fishing, etc., or implement extremely costly technological solutions, e.g., expensive customized sensors, HD Cameras, and real-time satellite transmission of data and video, which are not cost-effective for all but the most profitable fishing vessels. As a result, the state of the art of the fishing industry's use of catch reporting and monitoring technologies across the globe is inconsistent and ad hoc. It would be highly desirable (and is a goal of the industry) to be able to produce accurate, 2 reliable catch data in a cost-effective and unobtrusive manner. However, to date, there is no single solution that can achieve these.

[004] There is some background prior art that is known relating to two public domain systems: Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). However, most of this technology is specifically targeted at larger vessels and illegal activity by same. Further, this is generally focused more on the passive tracking of such vessels, without the help or involvement of the vessel owners.

[005] In terms of related prior art for the present invention, PCT Publication No. WO 2017/123329 teaches a data collection system for managing/tracking vessels and/or fleets, by collecting data and analyzing the collected data to determine vessel activities during one or more vessel paths.

[006] US Publication No. 20150313199 teaches a system for monitoring, communicating and displaying fishing data that includes equipment for measuring ambient atmospheric conditions, ambient aquatic conditions, and a global positioning system position, and a fishing lure for reporting fishing lure information. The system further includes a display for displaying the fishing data.

[007] US Patent No. 6,222,449 teaches a remote fish logging unit for electronically recording information related to fishing conditions. The unit has sensors for detecting environmental conditions and/or for measuring physical data on a specimen caught. The unit also includes input mechanisms, such as a touch screen, for manually entering information, and a display for reviewing information stored in the device's memory. The unit may transfer recorded data to a central repository, for example using a transmitter/receiver for sending a data signal to a network server which maintains a database of information related to fishing conditions at a number of locations. The network server may receive and compile information from a number of remote units at various locations, thereby providing a system for sharing such information.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[008] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, disclosed herein is an on-board apparatus for collecting fishing-related data for a fishing vessel for seafood catch reporting and monitoring purposes, comprising: a computer hub and a 3 waterproof housing encasing the computer hub for protecting the hub from the elements, the hub comprising: (i) a processor control block, comprising: a CPU; a memory; a clock; and a GPS (or other geolocation system) chip, for providing a global location for the computer hub in the form of GPS location data; (ii) a battery for powering the hub; (iii) a battery recharging mechanism for recharging the battery; (iv) at least one wireless interface accessible by the processor control block and configured to communicate collected data to a shore-based server, via at least one wireless communications network when in effective range thereof, the at least one wireless communications network being a Bluetooth network, a WIFI network, a cellular network, or other wireless network (such as radio, RFID, LoRa); and (v) a storage device for storing the collected data, wherein the collected data comprises: “backbone logging” data comprising GPS location data from the GPS chip and time from the clock; and secondary data, comprising one or more of: catch data input from a tablet or electronic device on-board the fishing vessel; sensor data collected from one or more on-board or nearby sensors; and video/image data collected from an on-board camera.

[009] In accordance with another aspect, the computer hub is configured as an open system.

[0010] In accordance with another aspect, the hub is provided with a power management system for conserving power use by the hub, wherein the power management system takes into account changes in the GPS location data (i.e. the movement of the vessel) in order to determine when to collect the sensor data from the one or more on-board sensors and/or the video/image data from the on-board camera.

[0011] In some aspects, the housing is configured to secure the computer hub from physical tampering. In some aspects, the hub is a self-contained unit.

[0012] In yet another aspect, disclosed herein is a system comprising the on board apparatus; and a shore-based system configured to receive the collected data from the on-board apparatus via the at least one wireless communications network, and to manage the collected data. In some aspects, the shore-based system is configured as an open system for providing the collected data to a third party. In yet another aspect, the shore-based system is provided with actual catch data for a 4 vessel, and the collected data for the vessel is compared against the actual catch data for catch verification purposes or to detect discrepancies.

[0013] In yet another aspect, disclosed herein is a system comprising the on board data collection apparatus; and an on-board system configured to receive the collected data from the on-board apparatus via a wireless communications network, and to manage the collected data for applications in the wheelhouse of the vessel. One such application involves overlaying the collected data from the on-board apparatus onto a map being displayed by a vessel-based plotter device. Such plotter devices are commonly found on fishing vessels used to track the vessel’s location and bearing. Another such application would be for real-time data reporting applications which may require satellite-based communication from the vessel to shore. For such applications, the collected data could be transmitted wirelessly to a vessel-based satellite communications device.

[0014] Disclosed herein is an improved method and system for collecting and sharing fishing-related catch and monitoring data. Some key aspects of the design include: (i) minimal imposition to the fishers or the act of fishing; (ii) accurate, secure, data that can be trusted by all stakeholders; (iii) an open architecture allowing for continuous innovation and collaboration; and (iv) cost-effectiveness allowing for broad usage by all types and size of fishing vessels.

[0015] In accordance with another aspect, disclosed herein is an at-sea data collection system and a shore-based system for retrieving, aggregating, and collating the data, so that the data may be viewed, analyzed, and shared with interested parties, at the data owner's discretion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0017] Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation showing the two parts of the system in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation summarizing and illustrating the at-sea data collection system. 5

[0019] Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating an embodiment of the at-sea data hub's hardware components.

[0020] Fig. 4 illustrates examples of how the hub may be attached to the vessel.

[0021] Fig. 5 summarizes the Position Monitoring subsystem's state machine.

[0022] Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating the synchronization of data, by time and location, in the hub, and the transfer of same for server processing.

[0023] Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic representation illustrating how the synchronized data may be viewed in conjunction with a map, showing where the data was collected during the trip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The invention comprises an at-sea data collection system along with a shore-based system for retrieving, aggregating, and collating the collected data. Fig. 1 illustrates said two parts of the present system 10, the computer-implemented, At- Sea Data Collection System 20, and the computer-implemented, Onshore Data Retrieval and Management System 30 (also sometimes referred to herein as the "shore-based system") for retrieving, processing and managing the collected data.

[0025] It is highly desirable that the at-sea data is collected in a manner which generally minimizes the impact on the normal fishing activity. The fisher's actions at sea should be virtually indistinguishable from what would be typical in the absence of the present invention. The data is collected in a layered manner. The foundation of the data collected is the automatic tracking, by time and by location, of the entire trip taken by the fishing vessel from the time that it begins its fishing trip to the time that the trip ends. The foundation, or "backbone logging", occurs as the default behavior of the at-sea data collection. Optionally, additional data logging may be meshed with the backbone logging, overlaid on the time and location record, from one or more other sources. This additional data logging may take various forms including one or more of: data manually entered by the fisher via a tablet or other stand-alone computing device; sensor data from special-purpose devices on or nearby the vessel; and video frame-grab data from cameras on the vessel. 6

[0026] Fig. 2 illustrates the layered approach to the at-sea data collection. When a fishing vessel 40 leaves port 45 on a fishing trip, backbone logging 50 commences once motion is detected and continues throughout the duration of the fishing trip, until the fishing vessel returns back to port, or other Resting place. Various other data inputs may be made to the data collection system and overlaid upon the backbone logging data, such as that received/input from a tablet or other such electronic device 55 (such as weight/quality of catch and other catch data, sea conditions, etc.); from one or more integrated on-board or nearby sensors, such as temperature sensors or winch-based sensors 60; and from cameras 65. These types of data logging that occur, may together form a valuable record of the entire fishing trip, where all of the relevant fishing catch data may be synchronized automatically by time and location. When the fishing vessel 40 returns home to port and comes to a stop, the stop in motion is detected and the fishing trip is considered to be at an end. The collected data can be retrieved (e.g. through WIFI or cellular networks) and sent to the shore-based system 30 for processing; this can occur all in one go at the end of a fishing trip or, alternatively, some or all of the collected data may be retrieved and sent to the shore-based system 30 at various times during the fishing trip in the event that the fishing vessel comes within range of cellular or WIFI network, with any remaining collected data retrieved at the end of the fishing trip.

The At-Sea Data Collection Hub

[0027] The heart of the At-Sea Data Collection System 20 is the on-board data hub (sometimes referred to herein as the "hub"). Fig. 3 depicts an embodiment of this hub 70. The hub 70 is designed to be waterproof and tamperproof. Its exterior (see A) is of a clamshell design and preferably made of a relatively sturdy and robust plastic material. The exterior has no plugs orfixtures of any kind and does not require an external power source. This design allows for the hub 70 to easily be made waterproof and resistant to environmental elements (such as sun, heat, cold, salt, wind, salty air, etc.), and also helps ensure it is tamperproof - any attempt at mechanical interference will be obvious.

[0028] The interior of the box (see B) is made up of the following key components: a storage device 72 with enough space to store all of the collected data, for the duration of the trip; a processor control block 74 which contains the CPU, memory, battery-backed real-time clock, and other critical components to allow the 7 computer to function reliably; a long-life battery 76 which will ensure that the hub can function for the duration of the fishing trip; and a recharging mechanism for the battery 78. The latter will be achieved via a passive wireless recharging mechanism. The hub 70 may be provided with various wireless interfaces, such as: a) a Bluetooth wireless interface 80; b) a WIFI interface 82; c) a cellular interface 84; and d) a GPS interface 86 (for communicating the GPS location data from the GPS chip to the processor control block) - all of which are accessible by the processor control block 74. The hub will include a built-in GPS (or similar such geolocation chip and system) chip for geolocation. It is appreciated that besides GPS, other geolocation systems are also available and used, such as for example GLONASS; the present invention is illustrated and described herein using GPS as the basis for the geolocation system, although it should be understood that the invention can utilise any other geolocation system in a similar fashion. All of the components are generally chosen for their low power-consumption, high performance, and/or cost effectiveness.

[0029] There are various ways that the hub could be attached to the vessel. Since the hub should be securely attached to the vessel and yet still easily removed by a skilled person for the purpose of maintenance, recharging, etc., it is a preferred embodiment that the hub be attached to the vessel by being inserted into a bracket, or “shoe”, which itself is permanently attached to the vessel.

[0030] Also, there are various ways that the hub’s battery may be recharged. One exemplary method would be to place a conventional wireless charging pad (“recharging pad”) close enough to the hub to allow the battery to charge while the apparatus is still attached to the vessel. Another method would be to remove the hub from the vessel and bring it close to a recharging pad. Finally, another method for recharging would be to have the recharging pad itself be secured to or be part of the bracket, or shoe, that is securing the apparatus to the vessel. In the latter case, the recharging pad could be permanently connected (or connected as required) to the vessel’s own main power source, if such exists. Fig 4 illustrates examples of how the apparatus or hub 70 may be attached to the vessel. A bracket, or “shoe”, 88 may be secured to the vessel in a permanent manner via screws or bolts through holes in the shoe 90. Grooves 92 so manufactured in the hub 70 match flanges 94 manufactured on the shoe so that the hub 70 may be inserted into the shoe 90 and so secured. Fig. 4 also illustrates an optional form of the shoe 96 which incorporates 8 the recharging pad as part of the shoe 90 which in turn may be directly connected to the vessel’s DC power supply 98.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the software running on the hub 70 is specially built/developed for this application. It runs in an embedded OS tuned for strict power management. It is contemplated that a LINUX™ based OS, with a distribution based on Yocto will be well suited for present purposes. Alternatively, a smaller footprint OS such as FreeRTOS™ may be employed. The logic of the application software on the hub is relatively simple and, therefore, quite reliable. It may include the following subsystems:

• Power Management

• Position Monitoring and backbone logging control

• External nearby device detection and rendezvous

• External device data reception and logging

• Automatic data upload to onshore system

• Critical system usage monitoring (battery, memory, storage, etc.) and transmission to shore

[0032] The Power Management subsystem ensures that the hub 70 uses as little battery power as is minimally needed to achieve its function. When not needed in data collection, unneeded components are put on a very low duty cycle or shutdown completely - only to be 'spun up' when needed for data collection. By way of example, it would be generally unnecessary to monitor or capture/store video frames until fishing activity has commenced.

[0033] The Position Monitoring subsystem is a software process that utilizes the embedded real time clock and the GPS chip/system, and works in conjunction with the Power Management subsystem to conserve battery power. The process regularly monitors the vessel's geolocation and logs it along with the time. The system, when at rest, will come alive on a relatively slow duty cycle, e.g., once every ten minutes. When in this "Resting" state, all the subsystems of the hub are in their low-power, or “Off”, mode. Each time that the Position Monitoring process is awoken by the timer, it checks its location, using the built-in GPS chip, and compares it with the last position recorded the last time it awoke. If the vessel is moving, the Position 9

Monitoring subsystem will increase its duty cycle, e.g., waking up every 5-10 seconds, and accurately track the vessel's location and bearing. The vessel would now be in the "Motoring" state of operation, heading at a relatively high speed in a relatively straight line. In this state, the system may be configured so that the External device software monitors and receivers remain at rest or on a slow duty cycle, thus conserving energy. Once the vessel begins to slow down and frequently change direction (possible indications that fishing may soon occur), the Position Monitoring system may wake up the configured External device monitoring subsystems or increase their duty cycles so that they monitor their connected devices in a timely manner - this is the "Fishing" state. Once the vessel resumes the "Motoring" or “Resting” states, the External device subsystems can once again be put into their lower power modes. When the geolocation of the vessel is once again at its origin, or has reached another Resting location, and the movement has ceased, the Position Monitoring subsystem will resume its low-power mode and duty cycle. Referring to Fig. 5, this illustrates the states of the Position Monitoring subsystem 100 and how it may control the functions of some of the other subsystems, according to the determined "state" of the fishing vessel (e.g. "Resting" 105, "Motoring" 110 or "Fishing" 115).

[0034] It is a preferred feature of the present system that the wireless interfaces and the application programming interface (“API”) to all of the external devices which may log data to the hub 70, are all open and in the public domain. External devices will communicate with the hub via Bluetooth and/or WIFI. Whenever data is being logged to the hub, it is automatically synchronized with the Position Monitoring record. In this way, the system provides a way of gaining valuable insight into this synchronized data once ashore, as shall be described.

[0035] The hub is purposely designed with open wireless and software interfaces, along with open software source code (such as within a public open software framework like GNU™ or Apache™), intended for automatic data collection in the field.

[0036] Whenever the hub comes into cellular or WIFI network range with the shore, which may be checked as part of the Position Monitoring process, it may, if so configured, transfer some or all (or selected parts) of the collected fishing data to the shore-based server and the shore-based system. For example, it may be configured 10 to always preferentially transfer critical system monitoring data (e.g. catch data, GPS data, or other data which may be more time-sensitive) to shore when in cellular or WIFI range. In some circumstances and in certain applications, some portions of the collected data may be of particular importance or interest, such that it is beneficial or preferable to receive and process such data as soon as possible (e.g. where the data may be used to inform other vessels in a fleet of risks, issues, presence of fish, etc.). It is also contemplated that a “point of interest” logging function may also be provided, such that a point of interest such as the location of a network tower may be logged and stored, so that the system will know it can transfer collected data the next time it is close to such location. In each case, these functions must be balanced with the general consideration of conserving power for the hub. Typically, all the fishing data and critical system data will be transferred to shore as the vessel reaches its port.

[0037] Fig. 6 illustrates the end-to-end system 120. The different data from tablet 122, sensor 124, and camera 126 are combined into a single digital log, where they are associated by time and location 130. This log is transmitted to shore 135 where it can be processed and analyzed 140. Fig. 7 illustrates how the processed log data may be used 150. The route of the vessel is shown by the dotted line 155 and the logged events are depicted by the diamonds along the route 160. A particular event is analyzed in more detail and is shown to contain numerous types of data logged concurrently 165. By synchronizing various input data in this manner, the system allows interested parties to glean valuable information from concurrent and collocated data. For example, it could be shown that a particular species, size or amount of fish was caught in a certain location with water of a certain temperature.

The Onshore Data Retrieval and Management System

[0038] A preferred embodiment of the onshore data retrieval and management system has the following key features:

• Automatic and timely retrieval of hub data (via cellular or other networks)

• Encryption of data elements and association of data elements with the data owner's rules for sharing (enabled with PKI)

• Aggregation of data from different hubs/owners based on the pre-set rules for sharing, e.g., sharing fishing data amongst the skippers of a fleet

• Presentation of data to associated 3rd party analytics and data visualization subsystems in an efficient manner 11

• Presentation of data to products which connect to governing and compliance entity OS for machine-to-machine data reporting, e.g., Canadian ELOGS

[0039] As described above, the hub may be configured to upload/send some or all of the collected data, via cellular or other communication networks, to the shore- based system, either at the conclusion of the fishing trip and/or during the fishing trip whenever a suitable cellular or other communication network comes within range of the hub. The collected data may then be stored on a server for later use/access or sent for further processing/management. Preferably, the collected data may also be encrypted in order to help it stay secure. Such further processing can include aggregation and analysis of the aggregated data (aggregation, in the sense that data may be retrieved from multiple hubs from ships of a fleet, for example). In this way, the individual fishers gain further insight from the trip data of their peers to help in the planning of their own future fishing. The processing may also include analysis of the various types of data to compile an events log for the fishing trip (such as a catch log - including volume and quality of the catch, matched with time/location data); and analysis of the collected data; and reporting collected data to any third parties as appropriate (such as for regulatory/licensing/certification purposes). For example, for catch verification or regulatory purposes, actual or reported catch data for a vessel may be compared against the collected data for said vessel in order to verify the reported catch data and/or to detect/flag discrepancies between the reported catch data and the collected data.

[0040] It is also contemplated that in other applications, a version of the Data Retrieval and Management System could also be embodied on the vessel itself, such that the collected data from the hub may be wirelessly communicated to and made available to the vessel’s on-board systems in the wheelhouse of the vessel.

[0041] In conjunction with the at-sea data collection system (hub) described above, also disclosed herein is an open hub system, which therefore allows third parties to utilise the functionality of the hub (such as the backbone logging) and/or the collected data to develop additional customised or specialized applications based upon such. This may involve, for example, data collected from other kinds of sensors or instruments. By providing an "open system" (whilst maintaining the veracity, trustworthiness and security of the collected data) and permitting/facilitating third parties to utilize the hub and the data collected by the hub, it is contemplated that 12 this will encourage development of 3rd-party applications and more enhancements to the present hub system.

[0042] As described above, the fishing and seafood industry is in need of high tech products to promote more efficient fishing and to ensure that fish are caught ethically. It is contemplated that the present invention will enable all manner of useful applications which are dependent on reliable catch reporting and monitoring data being collected on-board and presented via an onshore server. It is contemplated that there are several different end-customer application groups in need of such secure data and hence several broad categories of applications that would be designed to source such data:

Precision Fishing: processes and tools designed and developed to enable fishers and fisheries to fish more efficiently, i.e., they spend less time, effort, and money in catching the fish that they intend to catch and also avoid the fish that they do not want to catch.

Regulatory: processes and tools designed and developed to monitor fishing activity to ensure that fishers are fishing ethically and catching fish within their quota.

Science & Academia: processes and tools designed and developed to give reliable data on global fishing stocks and the fishing activities around the world.

Seafood Traceability: processes and tools designed and developed to trace all manner of information regarding the seafood being purchased by the end consumer, i.e., what species of fish are contained in the product, where the species was caught and by whom, where the food was processed and how it was treated from the time it was caught through to the final packaging or presentation.

[0043] While specific embodiments have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific - 13 - details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well- known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.