Malta Unveils Fisheries System With Satlink

The Maltese Fisheries Information Integrated System (FIIS) was launched last week. FIIS, a national digital platform developed for Malta to integrate 100 percent of its tuna and other fisheries activities and data into one unified system, was designed and developed by Spanish technology firm Satlink. The introduction of FIIS will “formally mark the start of a national project that sets a new European standard for digital fisheries management,” read a Satlink statement. Malta is home to several bluefin fattening farms that operate in the Atlantic Ocean and vessels that catch the fish here.

Maltese fisheries officials and Satlink executives, who attended the launch, stated that FIIS will make Malta the “European country to operate a fully integrated national fisheries management ecosystem, where monitoring, scientific reporting, administrative processes, market supervision, and stakeholder engagement operate within one coordinated system.” Currently, the system will support over 800 commercial vessels and 2,000 recreational boats. The FIIS is being developed in alignment with the European regulatory framework, including the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the ICCAT obligations to manage, monitor, and report on the fishing of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean, and the EU data protection standards, stated Satlink.

The European Tuna Conference will be held on April 20 in Barcelona. Session II will focus on traceability and import reporting in the European tuna supply chain. To register and receive an early bird discount, see this link.