Pelagic Data Systems teaming with Alan Lovewell, Real Good Fish to install vessel tracking systems in California

A new partnership between Pelagic Data Systems and Alan Lovewell’s Real Good Fish will place vessel tracking systems onboard commercial fishing boats in California.

Pelagic Data Systems makes lightweight, solar-powered vessel tracking technology. Real Good Fish is a community supported fishery that makes weekly deliveries of locally caught seafood to about 1,500 shareholders in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas. The partnership will provide Real Good Fish’s members detailed information about where, when and how their seafood – including black cod, dungeness crab, king salmon, lingcod, rockfish, and sanddabs – was caught, via a weekly email newsletter.

“From fishermen to seafood lovers, we’re working together to explore the intersection of seafood and technology in the interest of solving some of the toughest problems that face our oceans and plates,” Lovewell, who founded Real Good Fish in 2012, said. “I would like to see how this technology helps our fishermen and consumers work more closely together to provide a more enriching, empowering, and collaborative experience for our community.”

Participating vessels from Moss Landing and Santa Cruz have already been out outfitted with PDS’s vessel tracking system, according to Lovewell, who plans to expand the outfitting process if he receives positive feedback on the program from fishermen and members. The system will trace fishing practices for participating vessels, including verification for the species targeted and type of gear used.

“Alan is a talented and creative thinker, committed to designing new ways to reconnect communities with the ocean and their local fisheries for a more sustainable future,” PDS Chief Scientific Officer Melissa Garren said. “Pelagic Data Systems is about bringing new technological capacity to fisheries. We are enthusiastic about this opportunity to combine Alan’s efforts with our systems.”

In March, SeaWeb, an organization that promotes ocean conservation issues, announced that both PDS and Lovewell were named finalists for the organization’s annual Seafood Champion Awards for their work in promoting sustainable and responsible seafood. Lovewell was selected for his work on Real Good Fish, along with Bay2Tray, a program that uses bycatch species to provide local California public schools with an affordable fish lunch. PDS has been recognized for its affordable, solar-powered vessel-tracking technology that has been used to improve seafood traceability and combat IUU fishing in countries across the globe. Both PDS and Lovewell plan to attend the SeaWeb Seafood Summit taking place 5 to 7 June in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., where the winners of the Seafood Champion Awards will be announced.