Fisher Friend: Helping to Save Lives and Improve Incomes of FishermenGenerations of fishermen in India’s coastal regions have practiced and perfected their craft for years. However, with changing environmental conditions after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and its devastating impact, a new generation of fishermen is using wireless technology to earn their livelihoods in a safer and more profitable manner. The Fisher Friend Mobile Application provides critical information about weather and ocean conditions up to 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) from shore, including disaster alerts, Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) and current market prices of fish, helping the fishermen improve their catch and their incomes.

Challenge

» For generations, fishermen in India’s coastal communities earned their livelihood by relying on their

traditional knowledge of the sea and fishing grounds.

» The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami changed the sea’s conditions, making the fisherfolk’s

traditional knowledge obsolete.

» Fishermen have difficulty judging when it is safe to venture out to sea and sometimes have trouble

finding the best places to fish.

» The International Border Line (IBL) between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka runs through the ocean

close to the coast of Tamil Nadu and is not marked, making it possible for fishermen to accidentally

cross the line and face penalties under Sri Lankan law.

Solution

» Fisher Friend mobile application provides comprehensive information on ocean conditions such as

wind speed, wind direction and wave height along with early warning information on disasters like

cyclones, high waves and heavy rainfall. Fishermen use this information to determine when it is safe

to go to sea and which type of fishing gear they should take with them.

» The mobile app leverages the smartphone’s GPS feature to map the coordinates of PFZ Advisories,

provided by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, and chart a course to the

PFZ and then back to their harbor locations.

» Fishermen use the GPS feature of the mobile app to communicate their location to the coast guard

when stranded at sea.

» The mobile app alerts the fishermen of Tamil Nadu when they’re approaching the international

border of Sri Lanka, enabling them to change course and avoid crossing the border.

» Fishermen also use the mobile app to obtain current market prices, enabling them to negotiate the

best price for their catch.

2015 Statistics » Life expectancy: 68.13 years » Population: 1.25 billion » GDP per capita (PPP): US$5,800

(2014 est.) » Mobile penetration: 74.8%

Sources: CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ index.html); Mobile penetration data provided by Informa UK Limited and based on market intelligence. Population data from CIA World Factbook.

INDIA

We find the information on wind speed and wave heights provided through Fisher Friend very critical, and timely warnings have saved the lives of many fishermen. Every day before we go to sea, we look at the information on Fisher Friend to determine if it is safe or not to venture into the sea.

— Mr. Balakrishnan, Fisherman of Veerampattinam Village, Puducherry

Education | Entrepreneurship | Environment | Health Care | Public Safety

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Technology

» 3G/4G -enabled Android smartphones with GPS

» Specialized mobile application developed in four languages including Tamil (spoken in Tamil Nadu),

Telugu (spoken in Andhra Pradesh), Malayalam (spoken in Kerala) and English.

Impact

» The Fisher Friend program was first started in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and has now scaled to

Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. More than 2000 fishermen of these states have used the mobile app.

» The fishermen find the GPS capabilities of the mobile app and the smartphone useful to navigate

to PFZ coordinates and back to their harbor locations.

» Fisher Friend has helped in the rescue of more than 40 fishermen who were caught in bad weather

conditions. They used the mobile app to communicate their GPS location to the coast guard.

» Many fishermen have found fish catches worth over US$ 1500 by following the PFZ advisories

provided through the mobile app. Many have saved their boats and fishing gear by avoiding

dangerous sea conditions based on the advisories of wind speeds and wave heights provided by

the mobile app.

» The National Council of Applied Economic Research of India, a reputable think tank and economic

research organization, lauded the Indian Federal Ministry of Earth Sciences for the implementation

of Fisher Friend in collaboration with the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and

recommended that a similar program be created for Indian farmers.

Project Stakeholders

» Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services provides data on wave heights, wind speeds

and potential fishing zones.

» The Indian National Coast Guard provides protection and emergency assistance to fishermen.

» MSSRF is the lead implementing agency that anchors the project. In partnership with the fishing

community and other key stakeholders, it determines essential features, enhancements and

information to be added to the mobile app, thereby making it both user-friendly and relevant to the

fishermen. Additionally, it provides training and support to the fishermen.

» Qualcomm Wireless Reach is the main project funder and provides technical and project

management support.

INDIA

1 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/indiaeXtn/resources/295583-1110791780048/india-tsunami-na-mar14-2005-all.pdf2 ibid.

February 3, 2016

…. From all accounts, this technology (Fisher Friend mobile application) has transformed the way the fishermen in Tamil Nadu operate

— Forbes India, June 2015