“O Mar Está para Peixes?” – an Interactive Platform for Open Source Fishery Data in Rio De Janeiro State

Abstract

Despite the wide dissemination of information access, open data scarcity in fisheries science is still seen as a challenge. Thus, initiatives such as Sea Around Us and Fish Stats stand out. Particularly in developing countries, fishery data collection systems are precarious and there is a lack of national platforms to make fisheries data available. In Brazil, some states such as São Paulo and Santa Catarina have their own data repositories in web platforms, but there are limitations for dynamic queries. In addition, fisheries management based on the “Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries” (EAF) have been discussed and adopted, and environmental variables have been used as indicators to increase the robustness of fishery models. In this sense, the present work proposes a fishery data compilation platform named O mar está para peixes? (Are there fish in the sea?), which contains fishery data and fishery-related satellite remote sensing data (i.e. sea surface temperature, chlorophyll concentration) for the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The platform is divided in five sections: Fishery, Habitat, Map, Satellite and Download. These sections make data available for dynamic and personalized consultations, with the option of downloading the data. A standard spreadsheet developed for users to submit their own data is presented, with the goal of promoting participation and the collective construction of the platform. This is a new step towards the development of an EAF in Rio de Janeiro, which will potentially open the pathway for the integration of public agencies, research institutions, fishing industry and artisanal fishermen.