There is a growing need for enhanced surface and subsurface coastal observations to enable integrated modelling and decision-support tools. Fishing vessels can serve as platforms for hosting and deploying an assortment of oceanographic instrumentation. Furthermore, many types of fishing gear already profile through the water column, presenting a unique subsurface data collection opportunity. Integrating ocean data collection with fishing vessel operations complements existing ocean observing networks by enabling the cost-effective acquisition of surface and subsurface ocean data, significantly expanding coverage in data-sparse regions. Counterintuitively, the shelf and coastal regions, where most fisheries operate, are among the most data scarce areas, especially for subsurface physical oceanographic data, which fishing vessels are so well suited to collect. These data can benefit fisheries science by coupling environmental information with catches, improving physical coastal and ocean models, and encouraging greater involvement of fishery stakeholders in the scientific process. This approach creates a win–win because the fishing industry can leverage the data to adopt innovative solutions to improve fisheries sustainability, profitability, and community resilience. To maximize these benefits and complement existing ocean observing networks, an emerging global network: the Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network (FVON), has been formed. FVON aims to foster the proliferation of collaborative cost-effective ocean data collection, democratize ocean observations, establish community standards and best practices, and facilitate observation uptake to improve ocean predictions while promoting sustainable fishing practices.

Ocean observations are the foundation of our understanding of ocean processes. Improving these observations has critical implications for our ability to sustainably derive food from the ocean, predict extreme weather events that take a toll on human life, and produce the goods and services that are needed to meet the needs of a vast and growing population. While there have been great leaps forward in sustained operational monitoring of our oceans there are still key data gaps which result in sub-optimal ocean management and policy decisions. The global fishing industry represents a vast opportunity to create a paradigm shift in how ocean data are collected: the spatio-temporal extent of ocean data gaps overlaps significantly with fishers’ activities; fishing vessels are suitable platforms of opportunity to host communications and sensor equipment; and many fishing vessels effectively conduct a depth-profile through the water column in the course of normal fishing activities, representing a powerful subsurface data collection opportunity. Fishing vessel-collected ocean data can complement existing ocean observing networks by enabling the cost-effective collection of vast amounts of subsurface ocean information in data-sparse regions. There is an emerging global network of fishing vessels participating in collaborative efforts to collect oceanographic data accelerated by innovations in enabling technologies. While there are clear opportunities that arise from partnering with fishing vessels, there are also challenges ranging from geographic and cultural differences in fleets, fishing methods and practices, data processing and management for heterogeneous data, as well as long term engagement of the fishers. To advance fishing vessel-based ocean observation on a global scale, the Fishing Vessel Ocean Observing Network (FVON) aims to maximize data value, establish best practices around data collection and management, and facilitate observation uptake. FVON’s ultimate goals are to foster collaborative fishing vessel-based observations, democratize ocean observation, improve ocean predictions and forecasts, promote sustainable fishing, and power a data-driven blue economy.

Recreational and commercial fisheries around the world provide significant economic, social, and nutritional benefits. Limited or inaccurate fisheries catch data can threaten the sustainability and productivity of these fisheries. SmartPass is an electronic monitoring approach that uses shore-based camera systems coupled with machine learning to classify and enumerate fishing vessels moving through a coastal pass, which helps to better understand total catch. This data can be shared with managers to efficiently and effectively manage fisheries for greater sustainability and productivity.

Widespread overharvest has led to marine ecosystem degradation and declining fishery catches in many tropical communities. To allow stocks to recover and provide increased flows of food and income, reductions in fishing effort are necessary. The development of Alternative Income Generating Activities can help to reduce the economic reliance of coastal communities on fishing, potentially reducing pressure on fish stocks. Here we assess the local conditions which have enabled the creation of Alternative Income Generating Activities to fishing based on marine ecotourism in Moalboal, Philippines. Importantly, while marine ecotourism typically centers around charismatic megafauna, a combination of nearshore fringing reefs, the establishment of nearshore marine protected areas and the occurrence of a consistently large herring aggregation provide a large tourism draw to this community. Using a combination of regional and local economic statistics and stakeholder surveys, we implement an economic valuation of Moalboal marine ecotourism for 2018 and compare this valuation to an independent estimate of the extractive value of the herring aggregation. The Moalboal case indicates that a combination of strong community engagement in the governance of the ecotourism resource, a network of locally managed marine protected areas and the retention and distribution of economic benefits within the local community have led to a significant marine ecotourism sector. We contextualize these conditions into a set of potential enabling conditions for marine ecotourism as an Alternative Income Generating Activity to fishing to contribute insights to diversifying livelihood opportunities beyond extractive fishing for coastal communities in the tropics.