The Fisheries Ships of Opportunity Observing Program (FishSOOP) is revolutionising how Australia collects vital subsurface ocean data, thanks to a successful partnership between commercial fishers, Fishwell Consulting, the University of New South Wales (UNSW), and the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), the initiative equips over 30 commercial fishing vessels with temperature-depth sensors attached to fishing gear, enabling continuous and geographically diverse data collection across Australian waters — including remote regions like the Great Australian Bight and Northern Territory’s Top End.

In just over a year, more than 3 million data points have been collected from 12,500+ fishing sets, significantly enhancing Australia’s understanding of ocean conditions below the surface — a critical input for climate change tracking, fisheries management, and oceanographic modelling.

Dr Ian Knuckey of Fishwell Consulting says understanding subsurface ocean conditions is critical to improving ocean modelling and fisheries stock assessments in a time of rapidly changing ocean conditions.

The system’s simple design — using Bluetooth and solar-powered deck boxes — enables seamless data transfer from vessel to cloud with minimal disruption to fishing operations. Data is anonymised, quality-checked by UNSW, and made publicly available through the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN).

Due to its success, IMOS will integrate the FishSOOP network into its national operations and fund its expansion for at least three more years. FishSOOP offers a low-cost, scalable approach to ocean monitoring and is already influencing how Australia prepares for and responds to environmental changes impacting fisheries.

Related FRDC Project

2022-007: Trials of oceanographic data collection on commercial fishing vessels in SE Australia

More about the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS)

Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

Original Article by Catherine Norwood for FRDC (19 Aug 2024)