Indonesia and the Philippines will serve as the pilot markets for a new initiative that aims to make fishing more sustainable and improve the lives of fishermen and their communities by developing practical solutions that use the power of commercially viable mobile technology.
This was announced at the “Our Ocean” Conference hosted on June 16-17 by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington, DC.
mFish is a public-private partnership involving the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships, /tone™ and GSM Association. A report from the Conference called “Our Initiatives” (external link) said it will provide mobile devices to small-scale fishers in developing nations with apps designed to access market and weather information and more easily report catches to fisheries managers. It is among several new partnerships and initiatives valued at over US$1.8 billion that were announced during the Conference.
In a press release dated June 16, the State Department provided the following additional details about mFish:
- mFish will leverage the adoption of mobile phone use across the developing world to address sustainable fishing challenges and improve economic conditions in fishing villages. The partnership will establish a means to reach, teach and engage under-served fishing communities.
- mFish will be powered by /tone™, a mobile technology platform that brings the people behind global marketers, businesses, and consumers together in a single, personalized interface.
- mFish will use mobile services to provide real-time information to help fishermen, managers and the seafood industry to communicate, access information and share data seamlessly. Information can be used to collect and analyze catch data, monitor illegal fishing, trace seafood along supply chains, and improve fishing safety.
To view the original press release, click here. To view Secretary Kerry’s announcement, click the video player below
