Imagine being able to watch every fishing boat and fish farm from space and instantly know if they're following the rules. NextOcean built a web platform that turns satellite data from Europe's Copernicus program into practical services for the fishing and aquaculture industry. It helps fishing authorities track illegal activity, lets responsible fishing companies prove their catch is sustainable, and tells aquaculture operators where to place new farms and how existing ones affect the environment. Think of it as Google Maps meets a compliance dashboard for the ocean economy.
Fishing authorities cannot efficiently monitor thousands of vessels across vast ocean areas for illegal fishing or sustainability compliance. Aquaculture operators lack data-driven tools to assess environmental impact of existing farms or evaluate optimal locations for new ones. Meanwhile, responsible fishing companies have no practical way to certify their sustainability claims with satellite-verified evidence for ecolabeling.
A web-based platform delivering 4 commercial Earth observation services: fishing activity monitoring, bycatch minimization with ecolabeling support, aquaculture impact assessment, and new fish farm site evaluation. The platform went through MVP, Alpha, Beta, and v2 releases with integrated visualization, service ordering, and delivery capabilities.
If you are a fishing authority struggling to monitor vessel activity across vast ocean areas — this project developed a web-based service using Copernicus satellite data that tracks fishing activities and their environmental impact. The platform went through MVP, alpha, beta, and v2 releases with real users co-designing the solution across 4 user scenarios.
If you are a fishing company that needs to prove your catch is responsibly sourced for ecolabeling — this project built a service that uses Earth observation data to certify compliance with sustainability standards and minimize bycatch. The platform was tested with alpha and beta users from the industry across 7 countries.
If you are an aquaculture company evaluating where to build new fish farms or assessing environmental impact of existing ones — this project created satellite-based monitoring services that measure risks, potential revenues, and farm impact. The consortium included 17 partners with 7 industry members directly involved in service design.
The project data does not specify pricing. However, as an Innovation Action with a clear commercial orientation, the services were designed for paying public and private sector clients. Pricing would likely depend on the user scenario — fishing monitoring, ecolabeling, or aquaculture assessment.
Yes. The platform is built on Copernicus and GEOSS satellite data, which provide continuous global ocean coverage. The service went through 4 release cycles (MVP, Alpha, Beta, v2) and was tested with real users across 7 countries, indicating readiness for national-scale deployment.
The coordinator is DEIMOS ENGENHARIA SA, a Portuguese engineering company. IP arrangements would be governed by the consortium agreement among 17 partners. Contact the coordinator to discuss licensing or service subscription options.
The platform was specifically designed to support fishing authorities in monitoring compliance with sustainability regulations. One of the 4 user scenarios directly addresses monitoring fishing activities and their impact, aligned with EU Common Fisheries Policy requirements.
The v2 release already includes a web portal with service ordering and delivery capabilities. The project defined clear KPIs for integration into decision-making processes. Based on the beta release description, some manual validation steps were still required, so full integration timelines would depend on your existing infrastructure.
The project closed in June 2024. DEIMOS ENGENHARIA SA (coordinator) and the 7 industry partners may offer commercial support. The project website at nextocean.eu would be the starting point for current service availability.
The platform is built on Copernicus (EU Earth observation program) and GEOSS data resources. These are operational, continuously updated satellite systems, meaning the data pipeline does not depend on the project's EU funding to continue.
NextOcean's consortium of 17 partners across 7 countries (Portugal, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, UK) is well-balanced for commercial deployment: 7 industry partners (41% of the consortium) alongside 7 research institutions and 1 university provide both technical depth and market access. The coordinator, DEIMOS ENGENHARIA SA, is a Portuguese engineering firm with satellite data expertise. With 3 SMEs in the mix and partners spanning major European fishing nations (Norway, Spain, Portugal, Greece), the consortium covers the key markets where commercial fishing and aquaculture demand is strongest. The inclusion of a buyers group in the consortium design signals serious commercial intent rather than a purely research-driven effort.
DEIMOS ENGENHARIA SA (Portugal) — reach out via their corporate website or the NextOcean project portal
Want to connect with the NextOcean team for a tailored demo or licensing discussion? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction and help you evaluate fit for your operations.
