The coast guard keeps an eye on the sea

Coast guard

Advanced technologies and AI for the sea: innovations in fisheries control activity

During the ECGFF - EFCA Workshop under the Italian presidency of the ECGFF for 2024/2025, titled "Advanced technologies and AI for the sea: innovations in fisheries control activity," in Palermo, Geert Devogel (Fisheries Department), Yves Maekelberg (MDK), and Eefje Deweer (Coast Guard Secretariat) were present for the Belgian Coast Guard. 

This workshop brought together experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities of advanced technologies and AI in fisheries control and the entire coast guard. An important topic was the limitation of AI, such as the fact that AI should not be allowed to make decisions and should only be used as an advisory tool. It is also crucial to cross-check and verify data at the source, given the importance of accurate data on which AI bases its calculations. Additionally, it was emphasized that there are challenges in terms of resources and finding the right people to implement and coach AI in the workplace.

The attendees also discussed the need for awareness sessions and capacity building to overcome the limitations of AI. Integrating these opportunities requires engagement and development, with collaboration being essential. It was emphasized that the regulatory framework must be sufficient to address legal challenges, both from the developer's and the user's perspectives. The regulatory framework, which is built around different risk categories, is part of a broader legal system that provides data protection, even before the advent of AI through the GDPR. There is a need for both AI literacy and people who can explain the regulations, given the enormous complexity.

Another important point was that human intelligence leads to human creativity, and AI can only support us if we understand what happens in the 'black box.' It was advocated to have an overview of the maturity of AI systems that have already been developed, to better address the offerings from the industry. Participants emphasized that each coast guard community has specific needs for AI models and that the user should be central, not the technology. It is crucial to collaborate and develop a common understanding to determine the way forward.