Defra and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) would like to better understand the practicalities of using Unmanned Aerial vehicle (UAV) technology for the purposes of fisheries control and enforcement. A desk-based exercise is required to collate and assess the work ongoing within UK Government and in the private sector with regard to the use of UAV technology and how this could be applied to fisheries control and enforcement.

Developments in areas such as UAV technology have been assessed as being able to complement existing control and enforcement methods. UAV technology can be used in both the detection of activity at sea and as a potential deterrence of illegal behaviour. In UK waters currently maritime surveillance is primarily carried out using manned fixed winged aircraft to complement satellite monitoring. This is primarily to record sightings of smaller fishing vessels under the 12 metre requirement for satellite monitoring, record sightings of vessels in marine protected areas, detecting foreign vessels inside territorial waters, scallop vessels fishing inside 12nm with too many dredges aside, combating illegal fish discarding and detecting marine licensing offences. Directed and covert surveillance, when used in an appropriate, proportionate and controlled manner is highly effective at identifying and targeting high risk activity and is an efficient use of resource to determine offences beyond reasonable doubt for the purposes of criminal prosecution. The use of UAV technology has been assessed as being able to greatly enhance the MMO's ability to detect and deter illegal activity.

We are keen to understand which existing projects or areas of work where UAV technology is being trialled or currently used that has applicability to fisheries control and enforcement. For example, in instances where a UAV is being trialled or used in rough weather conditions, the outputs from this usage would indicate under what conditions UAVs may be used in fisheries control and enforcement. In recent years commercially run small UAV units have been deployed by the MMO for Marine Licensing surveillance and enforcement.