Report on the automatic system for by-catches quantification and classification and the battery of specific fluorescent DNA probes
Creators: name: Melado, Angela
name: Olabarrieta, Idoia
name: Zarate, Alberto González de
name: Pardo, Miguel Angel
name: Iñarra, Bruno
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018

description: This document is the third deliverable in work package six (WP6) of the DiscardLess project, which aims to contribute to the gradual elimination of the discards in the European fisheries, in agreement with the reformed Common Fisheries Policy of the EU and the implementation of the Landing Obligation (LO). LO states that all species with Total Allowable Catches (TAC) or Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) have to be classified, quantified and landed. Each species must be separated in different boxes, but also fishes under MCRS have to be separated as the LO states that their use for direct human consumption is not allowed. This increases the need of onboard handling, that is already very time consuming and demanding, and therefore will need the introduction of innovative solutions for the identification, classification and quantification of catches. The work package deals with two possible solutions for the identification, classification and quantification of catches. On the one hand, automatics systems for the quantification and classification of the catches has been developed and, on the other hand, fast DNA probes identification of several species has been established. <strong>Box 1: Report Highlights</strong> The LO implies the mandatory classification and quantification of all catches of species with TAC/quotas or MRCS. These changes suppose an important increase of on-board labour effort needed. To simplify the on-board procedure a bulk landing of by-catches is proposed and the establishment of a custom in the harbour for the classification and quantification of by-catches. To ease this procedure the use of automatic classification and quantification systems is proposed and with this scope an artificial vision system has been developed, On the other hand, the identification of species when stored in bulk, or if silage is produced, may become difficult. To avoid the inclusion of species with quota or TAC mixed with other species, easy and fast system for their identification are needed. With this aim fast and portable DNA methods have been developed. <strong>Box 2: The methods/approaches followed</strong> Development of an automatic system for the quantification and classification in land of the by-catch when these are landed in mixed bulk through artificial vision technology. Design of a PCR and Sequencing tool to obtaining an immediate on-site control of the presence/absence of valuable fish and/or non-compliance discards in the value chain, which can be operated by less qualified personal in an industrial environment. <strong>Box 3: How these results can be used and by who?</strong> If the bulk landing is accepted, these results will be of great profit for fishermen and their association. The development of automatic systems for the classification and quantification can be of great interest on board if legally accepted. The use of fast DNA identification of fish species can be of interest for the regulation fulfilment These methods can also be of interest to avoid fraud in the identification of catches. <strong>Box 4: Policy Recommendations</strong> Change in policies are needed to allow the bulk storage on-board, the establishment of by-catches customs in the harbours and the use of automated quantification and classification systems. The use of on-board technology for the classification and quantification of by-catches, and even all catches, can be of interest once the discards are forbidden. The improvement of traceability requirement may boost the use of system such as de fast DNA method developed.