Australia develops free app to overcome language barriers in fishing vessel inspections

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has developed a free mobile phone app intended to break down language barriers between inspectors and crew during at-sea and in-port inspections of fishing vessels. 

The app, called “Fish Talk,” is a tool that the authority said will help overcome some of the language barriers between Australian fisheries officers and the masters and crews of fishing vessels. The app translates common English phrases often used by the officers into written and spoken Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Spanish.

The app works without any internet connection and includes technical diagrams and reference images to support the fisheries officers' efforts, the AFMA said. It also contains categorized questions for fisheries officers to use, including questions such as “What do you intend to do with your catch?” and “When did you catch this?”

“Fish Talk is a great initiative by AFMA to support fisheries officers in their work and, in turn, help them have really successful communications with the crews on vessels,” AFMA CEO Wez Norris said in a release.

Fish Talk, the AFMA said, will help the authority combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by allowing for safer, more thorough inspections of vessels.

“It is a fantastic tool for any fisheries officer’s kit. I encourage fisheries officers from the Pacific and all around the world to download Fish Talk and give it a try,” Norris said. “I am confident that Fish Talk will lead to safer, more thorough inspections, enhancing the ability to detect illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.”  

Image courtesy of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority/Google Play