POLARTEMA-POLARTEMA

The ARCFISH project is developing a pilot Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) to support sustainable fisheries in the Arctic, a region where marine resources are vital to both local economies and ecosystems. As climate change reshapes ocean conditions and expands access to Arctic waters, there is an urgent need for better data-driven tools to guide fisheries management and policy. ARCFISH addresses this by integrating diverse datasets—ranging from oceanographic observations and ecosystem models to fisheries and fleet data—into a unified digital platform called Blue Insight. This platform enables users to visualize and analyse environmental and fisheries data in real time, helping stakeholders make informed decisions that balance economic activity with ecological sustainability. The project focuses on two key regions: Disko Bay in Western Greenland and the waters around Iceland, extending north to Svalbard and the Barents Sea. These areas were selected for their ecological importance, and the role fisheries play in local livelihoods. In its first year, ARCFISH engaged stakeholders through workshops and meetings to identify data needs and co-design services. Early results include ecosystem model products, vessel tracking data, and forecasts of ocean conditions, all visualized in the ARCFISH DTO. The platform supports open standards and remote data access, making it a flexible tool for researchers, fishers, and regulators. As the project progresses, ARCFISH will expand its data offerings, conduct training sessions, and publish a white paper outlining DTO applications for Arctic fisheries. Endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade and co-funded by European research agencies, ARCFISH is paving the way for more resilient, transparent, and sustainable fisheries in the Arctic.

ARCFISH will develop a pilot Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) Platform delivering new data products and services in support of sustainable Arctic Fisheries. These data products and services will be co-designed with stakeholders in the fisheries sector and used to create products such as ecosystem indices that can be applied in fisheries planning and management. Available data sources and gaps will be analysed to fulfil user needs and ingest relevant data into the Blue Insight DTO Platform, such as (1) oceanographic data from research vessels, autonomous mobile platforms, fixed buoys, and ships of opportunity, (2) met-ocean-ice forecasts and reanalysis from models, (3) fisheries management data (e.g., fisheries stocks, species), and (4) reference data (e.g., bathymetry, economic zones, AIS data). A use case for sustainable fisheries will be implemented using the ingested data and tools for generating customised products for two geographic regions, the west coast of Greenland centred around the rich fishing grounds surrounding Disko Bay, and the region around Iceland, northwards to the Svalbard archipelago and the Barents Sea. Using the compiled data and developed tools, a regional database of climate, environmental, and fisheries data will be created and made available through an open data repository to support sustainable Arctic Fisheries. The Blue Insight Platform developed by Kongsberg Discovery, Norway, will be part of the Digital Twins of the Ocean program of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. NERSC and international partners will develop data products and services that will be integrated into Blue Insight. The project will prepare training material and organise capacity building events for stakeholders and other SBEP projects. The regional database, developed services and tools, training and promotional material will be promoted through the iAOS portal operated by NERSC, a public project website, and dedicated social media channels.