Coordinated Intelligent Networks for NEPHrops norvegicus In-situ Long-term Imaging-based Assessment

The fishery of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus is among the most prominent ones in Europe (Atlantic and Mediterranean waters).

With signs of overexploitation and stock decline, standardised monitoring of populations over large areas is a priority for the authorities.

However, traditional assessment methods based on fishing (trawl sampling) are expensive, highly invasive for the environment and influenced by the species’ burrowing (buried individuals are not sampled).

Besides, alternative video-based methods like UnderWater TeleVision surveys with Remotely Operated Vehicles count burrow entrances and rely on the rough assumption that 1 entrance equals 1 individual and vice versa.

CINNEPHILIA aims to semi-automate a data-processing pipeline and establish relevant ecological indicators to monitor N. norvegicus populations in test sites and Marine Protected Areas of the Catalan coast, pushing stock estimation accuracy beyond the current state of the art.

Footage and oceanographic data from planned research cruises and lander-station deployments will be analysed and compared with available data from local fisheries, to calculate densities per Km2 and a more precise ratio of individuals to burrow entrances.

Through the main host and secondment phases, I will connect to interdisciplinary groups (ecology, oceanography, fishery science, image analysis and marine engineering).

Moreover, I will enhance my future career with training on data science, project management, soft skills, and exposure to fishery and ecosystem management practices.

The output (a standardised, highly automated protocol) is directly transferable to international initiatives such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES, responsible for Nephrops monitoring in the Atlantic) through the participation of my supervisor in the ICES Working Group on Nephrops Surveys.

Finally, the aims align to the Horizon Europe mission on “Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters”.