Author: BWild

Crowdsourced policing apps allow mobile users to report illegal fishing.

Although reporting illegal fishing using smartphone apps will not eliminate the problem of overfishing entirely, certain mobile technology, such as reporting apps like ShipWatch, make it easier for users to quickly and conveniently report suspicious fishing activity they might witness, which could help improve local enforcement in the area.

Countries do not lack fishing rules but they have a hard time enforcing laws.

Globally, it is estimated that three quarters of fishing grounds are overfished. What this means is that fish are being removed from waters at a quicker rate than the population is being replenished. One of the main reasons this problem exists is people engage in unlawful fishing practices.

Strict laws do exist around the world for fishing grounds, but it is not always easy to enforce them. For instance, in Ghana, there are certain fishing bans, but the country does not have the necessary resources that would enable it to adequately police its coastline. Approximately a third of all fishing that takes place across this West African region is done so illegally.

Mobile technology may be key in helping this problem.

According to Nature Conservancy Senior Technologist Matt Merrifield, “There are laws in place to say [the fishing] is illegal. The problem is they lack any kind of reporting mechanism. Our idea is to build out a little citizen science tool for any fisherman who’s out there on water. They can take a photo and report these guys.”

Merrifield recently worked on ShipWatch, a reporting app, for a Fishakathon event that was organized by the US State Department. He said that once everyone owns a location-aware phone and they have the ability to document illegal fishing activities and what is being caught, innovation will result. He added that the infrastructure did not exist in the past but once people have the ability to submit data and centralize it, this will help to solve the issue.

The ShipWatch mobile technology app is simple software that is based around the online mobile media sharing and social networking service, Instagram. Whenever a user witnesses what they believe is questionable fishing activities, they can snap a photo, create a tag, and upload what they have captured to a central map.

This demographic is not finding the mall atmosphere as attractive and interesting as previous generations at their age.

The trend away from the mall shopping experience is a considerable one among Millennials in the United States as well as many other countries, opening a considerable opportunity for retailers to reach this consumer demographic by way of mobile marketing, says a recent JLL Research report.

The firm’s report concluded that retailers need to use ads and promotions over smartphones and tablets to reach Millennials.

The report summary indicated that while the demographic has cash to spend, and they are also armed with some of the latest in electronics, smartphones, and tablets. They pointed out that young adult consumers who were born between the years of 1980 and 2000 are already spending an estimated $600 billion each year in the United States. Moreover, the amount of spending is growing, which means that the ideal mobile marketing opportunity is now being formed, and retailers will miss out if they don’t take hold of that chance.

Mobile marketing will, said the report, be a vital method of carving out a piece of that spending pie.

The report also outlined that Millennial retail spending “shows no signs of slowing. In fact, they’re on track to spend $1.4 trillion annually by 2020, accounting for roughly 30 percent of all retail sales.”

The JLL Research report suggests that retailers focus on mobile ads that are geared toward consumers between the ages of 18 and 34. This is the age group that sees the world through technology and they are among the most likely to use their mobile devices to shop when it comes time for them to make a purchase. They research products, compare prices, consult with peers, and read online reviews to help in making their final purchase decisions.

Among the largest mobile marketing recommendations that the firm made was in terms of coupons and sales that can be redeemed through the use of a smartphone or tablet. Like everyone else, Millennials love a good deal and are responsive to coupons and targeted promotions that they discover on their favorite devices.