DigiWaves
Towards transparent and sustainable European fisheries through digital innovation in monitoring, control and surveillance
European fisheries need reliable data to be managed effectively, but collecting it is often slow, costly and patchy. Many fishers still report their catches by hand, and the systems that do exist often cannot share information with each other. This makes it harder to know what is being caught, where and how, and harder for fishers and authorities to trust the figures. DigiWaves brings together fishers, authorities, researchers, technology companies and policymakers to change this.
The project develops and improves 13 digital technologies, including onboard cameras that use artificial intelligence to recognise catches, vessel tracking systems and simple catch reporting apps for fishers and anglers. It also builds shared data standards so that information can move easily between systems. These technologies are tested on real vessels in 12 case studies, covering small-scale, long-distance and recreational fisheries, from the Greek islands and Danish coastal waters to the Indian Ocean, the Falkland Islands and La Réunion.
The expected result is robust and reliable fisheries data, lower costs for monitoring and reporting, more trust between fishers and authorities, and practical tools that the sector can keep using after the project ends.
| Funding program | Horizon Europe |
|---|---|
| Call | HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-11 |
| GA No. | 101289878 |
| Duration | 48 months |
| EC Funding | € 6,049,787.63 |
| Website | digiwaves.eu |
| # Sectors | fisheries, foodtransparency, sensingtechnologies, sustainability |
Empowering European fisheries through digital innovation, trusted data, and smarter monitoring
- 13 Digital Technologies
- 12 Case Studies
- 20 Partners
- 9 Countries
RFF leads WP6, which covers dissemination, exploitation and communication, and is responsible for four of its five tasks. RFF develops and updates the project’s Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Plan and monitors progress against its targets throughout the four years. It builds the DigiWaves identity and runs the website, social media, newsletter and podcasts, and creates the DigiWaves Knowledge Hub, which brings together project results and resources from other EU initiatives.
RFF also analyses the market potential of the 13 DigiWaves technologies and develops business models for them, and leads the strategy for intellectual property and sustainability, helping partners identify and protect their key results so they continue to be used after the project ends. Beyond WP6, RFF contributes to the work on digital readiness, case studies, governance and project management.