Abstract:

Successful fishing is a rather complex undertaking, as it depends on many external factors and a series of subsequent choices made by the crew. The questions that a fisherman going out to sea must answer are: Where to go on a specific day? What will be the conditions at sea? Where can you expect the best catches?
The FindFISH platform (www.findfish.pl) aims to provide answers to all of the above questions, as it is a system that provides information that is to be useful to fishermen in their daily work at sea. The decisions that fishermen make also have serious consequences that affect the functioning of the entire marine ecosystem. Thanks to the use of the FindFISH system, it will be possible to increase the profitability of fishing while simultaneously reducing the negative impact on the environment through more selective and efficient catches.
It is a service that provides the results of developed models: hydrodynamic, biochemical, and Fish - for specific species of fish caught commercially. The site operates dynamically in an operational mode, enabling visualization of forecasts (+48 hours) in the form of maps, time series, spatial data, and tables.
The use of the FindFISH platform will increase the efficiency of work at sea not only for fishermen, but also for other entities that will use the above system, such as tourism entities, maritime services, scientists and ecologists, or state administration units. In addition, the FindFISH platform will support sustainable fishing and the creation of a smart economy in the maritime sectors (the so-called blue economy).
In order to test the operation of the FindFISH system, trainings were conducted separately for: 1) boat fishermen, 2) skippers of fishing boats, and 3) other potential users of the system.
The trainings covered three areas of knowledge:
- The first area of knowledge is the knowledge required to start the system, monitor its proper operation, and provide current administrative support.
- The second area covered the current use of the system by the end user.
- The third area covered knowledge about the meaning and interpretation of individual Baltic Sea environmental parameters provided by the system.
The added value will be improved safety at sea and improved working conditions through the currently developed Digital Information System for Polish Marine Areas CSI-POM (www.csipom.pl). The implementation of interactive workshops with selected stakeholder groups and representatives of society will also allow for the preparation of an educational offer aimed at a wide audience within the CSI-POM project.
Compliance with applicable international conventions and legal regulations, such as the Helsinki Convention, the Water Framework Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive of the European Parliament and the Council, and the European Commission's Earth Observation Program, is required from the general public, including fishermen, entrepreneurs, scientists, and individuals who have a duty to protect the natural environment of the Baltic Sea.

Acknowledgement:
Partial support for this study was provided by the project “Knowledge transfer platform FindFISH” funded by the European Union through European Regional Development Fund Contract RPPM.01.01.01-22-0025/16-00.
Publication financed from the state budget under the programme of the Minister of Education and Science (Poland) entitled "Science for Society" No. NdS/546027/2022/2022.

Keywords:

Baltic Sea, Numerical modeling, Fisheries, Society, Education.