- During the award ceremony, Pierre Nadji, Head of Aid and Cooperation at the European Commission (EC), highlighted the contribution of “very specific technologies to solve significant issues”.
The European Technology Chamber has recognized Satlink’s smart DSF, specially designed to enhance selective fishing, as the “Best European Technology for Ocean Conservation and Life below water protection” at the SDG Awards 2023, celebrated yesterday.
The award, delivered to Faustino Velasco, President and Founder of Satlink, acknowledges Satlink’s technology for its contribution to achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, driven by the United Nations. During the awards ceremony, Pierre Nadji, Head of Aid and Cooperation at the European Commission (EC), emphasized that “very specific technologies can solve significant issues, and it is technologies such as these that will secure the future and the achievement of SDGs”. Nadji also highlighted the Commission’s interest in supporting investments in line with the SDGs to ensure sustainable and smart developments.
The EU Technology Chamber deemed Satlink’s work “crucial to ensure the long-term sustainability of the oceans”. “Their pioneering technology guarantees a more sustainable fishing activity, and gives us hope in achieving the SDGs and building a better future”.
Satlink’s smart selective DSF has been conceived as a revolutionary technological tool that enables the distinction of species, thus enhancing selective fishing and reducing bycatch. With its unique dual echosounder system, in addition to providing information on the amount of tuna present below them, it identifies the tuna species present and their percentages within the total, through algorithms and Artificial Intelligence.
This allows crews to make more informed decisions, avoid the most vulnerable tuna species and respect quotas in a simple way, while optimizing their fishing strategy and reducing their carbon footprint and fuel consumption through more efficient navigation. Likewise, the constantly generated real-time information enriches knowledge about the oceans, species, and their behaviors.
According to Faustino Velasco, "we are proud to receive an award that recognizes, at a European scale, the innovation capacity of the Spanish technology industry applied, as in our case, to sustainable fishing and the care of our oceans. Our smart DSF has been a significant milestone for the global fishing sector, as it represents a fundamental tool in their efforts to ensure that their catches come from sustainable and responsible fishing activity."
