Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT and service partner SATLINK have won the first European contract to migrate fishing vessels from a paper logbook system to electronic recording and reporting. Mandatory European Union legislation requires all masters of fishing vessels more than 15 metres in length to migrate their logbook operation from manual to an electronic recording and reporting system (ERS) by July 2011; with a first phase of legislation, for vessels over 24 metres in length, applying from 1st January 2010.  Since the beginning of 2009, registered buyers or sellers of fisheries products with an annual turnover of more than 400,000 euros (approx 240,000 pounds) have been required to keep and submit records to their national fisheries administration by electronic means.

Ireland is the first member of the European Union, through its Cork-based Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), to have tendered and awarded an ERS contract.  The contract, for around 100 fishing vessels that are over 24 meters in length, has been awarded to a solution based on FleetBroadband 250 (FB250) from a team consisting of SATLINK, Inmarsat, Stratos and Sirius IT. The successful implementation of e-logbooks is expected to result in real-time catch information and improved data quality, which will improve sustainability of the world’s fish stocks by optimising economic returns and ensuring that larger fish stocks are harvested efficiently and at sustainable levels.