The Isle of Man’s fishing industry is spearheading a trial for a new data management system.

Staff in the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture’s fisheries directorate are testing a new fisheries data management system before it is adopted by fishery authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The new system is the result of a review carried out by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), the UK government agency responsible for collating fisheries data on behalf of the UK and the Isle of Man.

Updated software and operating systems will improve data management for a wide range of fisheries, including the island’s king and queen scallop fisheries.

The Manx government says development is further evidence of the importance of the its ’Future Fisheries’ strategy, with its commitment to sustainable and diversified fisheries and to developing a seafood industry worth around £14 million to the Manx economy every year.

Fisheries directorate staff have worked with the MMO, the Welsh government and Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on the development of the new system, completing many tests and helping to formulate the final system now being trialled.

Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture, said: ’Modern technology plays a critical role in the management of fisheries data which in turn underpins our ability to better manage fish stocks. While the system is currently still in testing it is envisaged that the benefits of the new system to the industry, and those wishing to buy and sell fish being marketed for the first time, will include easier access to more detailed information and greater transparency regarding traceability.

’This new system will assist my staff in analysing data more quickly, helping to better inform our fisheries policies and their enforcement. We should be proud of the part they have played in the development of the new system and the fact that they have been chosen to be the first to use them.’

Only minor changes have been made to the software on board Manx fishing vessels so fishermen will not see a big difference in how they send data on, for example, where they have been fishing and what species they have caught.

Registered buyers and sellers of fish on the island are also required to provide data.

All have been visited by DEFA staff, to ensure that they understand the changes that have been made to the system which receives their online data.

Tests of the new system were carried out with a representative of an island-based fish processor, to ensure that the new screens were clear and simple to use from their perspective.

Representatives from the MMO and DAERA are planning to visit the island soon, to see the system in use and to learn any lessons before their fishery authorities switch to the new system over the next few months.

The development costs are being met by the MMO, with funding from the European Union.