The Spanish tuna fleet is launching project SelecTuna, a pioneering initiative will deploy more than 1500 smart buoys from tech company Satlink in the three oceans where tropical tuna is caught, with the aim of increasing fishing selectivity. The aim is to focus on the strongest sustainable stocks, steering fishing effort away from more vulnerable stocks.
Under this collaboration agreement between the Organization of Associated Producers of Large-scale Freezer Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC) and Satlink, embedded within the activities and initiatives of OPAGAC’s 2024 Production and Commercialization Plan, the aim is to enhance innovation and improve technology to fine-tune discrimination between tropical tuna species.
The selective smart buoy, developed by Satlink, features a unique dual echo-sounder and acoustic technology system, that enables it to differentiate between skipjack tuna, and yellowfin or bigeye tuna. Project SelecTuna is expected to be key in improving the identification of yellowfin and bigeye tuna, due to enhanced algorithms, contrasted with intensive sampling.
‘The commitment to improving our fishery, the origins of which date back to the 1960s, has sought to have the most cutting-edge mechanisms available to optimize and control our activity and ensure that our catches result from transparent, sustainable and responsible fishing. This project is a step further in the same direction, integrating the most advanced solutions for the sustainability of our fishing activity,’ said OPAGAC managing director Julio Morón.