Understanding the physical processes of the ocean is fundamental for climate projections, ecosystem knowledge, and fisheries management. Yet despite this importance, subsurface data in coastal and shelf seas remain scarce, as well as in parts of the open ocean that remain under-sampled, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere and high-latitude deep basins, limiting the calibration and accuracy of ocean models and forecasts. While automated observing platforms have advanced coverage in the open ocean, shelf regions continue to suffer from critical observation gaps. However, collaboration with stakeholders operating in the open ocean, such as commercial shipping, fishing fleets, research vessels, and offshore industries, can expand observational capacity through cost-effective and opportunistic data collection.
Fishing vessels and gear, such as trawls, traps, dredges and longlines, offer a promising solution by serving as platforms for sensors that collect oceanographic data during normal fishing operations. Early initiatives focused on hydrographic measurements for operational oceanography, but applications have since broadened. Increasingly, data collected in this way are used in fisheries science and management, linking ocean conditions to species distribution, abundance, and behaviour. These data can also provide immediate value to fishers, helping them operate more efficiently and sustainably.
Comparisons of existing in situ subsurface coverage with fishing activities show that integrating fisheries platforms into observing networks could help close key gaps in coastal and shelf-sea monitoring. Around the world, a growing community is piloting fishing vessel–based observation programmes. Progress has been accelerated by knowledge exchange and technology transfer, yet significant steps remain before these platforms are widely accepted as part of the global ocean observing system.
This theme session provides a forum to share the latest developments in the use of fishing vessels and gears for ocean observation. Contributions are invited across four main topics: (a) state of the art in fishing vessel–based observing systems, (b) sensors and devices (e.g., ferry box, meteorological stations, and Argo flots)for gears and vessels (e.g., fishing, cargo and sailing), (c) applications of these data in ocean science, management, and fishing operations, modelling, citizen science and (d) data management to ensure interoperability and effective use across research and industry.
