Project Fisheye: Underwater Camera for Commerical Fishing

Fishing vessels operate in extreme conditions, and until recently, they’ve had no direct visibility into how nets, creels, and traps perform underwater. This knowledge gap has contributed to gear damage, unwanted bycatch, and inefficiencies in operations.

Funded by The Marine Management Organisation (MMO), fast-tracked the development of CatchCam by putting prototypes directly into the hands of UK fishermen.

Over three months in early 2022, six trials were carried out aboard commercial vessels operating in different fisheries.

By deploying CatchCam in fishing trials, the project helped shape a camera that’s:

• Robust withstand the harsh fishing environment

• Simple to deploy and recover

• Effective in capturing useful footage that crews can act on

Today, CatchCam has evolved from prototype to proven tool, now trusted by commercial fishing fleets, fisheries scientists and marine researchers across Europe and beyond.