Fishermen spend a lot of time at sea. That simple observation is the key to addressing one of the greatest problems of our time: waste in our oceans. Specifically, the international project Fishing for Litter encourages fishermen to (also) collect waste and bring it ashore in big bags, where it can be recycled.
That sounds great, but it required practical organisation. “First and foremost, the De Rederscentrale (shipowners’ centre) and other fishermen participating in the project, needed a tool that made it easy to register how much waste was being fished,” says Andries De Reyghere, founder and managing partner at Bits of Love. “At their request, we developed an app in which all the necessary data can be entered very easily: the quantity of bags, where they are brought ashore, where the waste was collected and by whom… Until now, all of this was collected manually and threatened to become a hassle.”
Sea fishing is intensive. Under no circumstances should the app affect daily activities. Andries De Reyghere: “That was the customer’s main requirement: simple data entry for the fishermen, who are the end-users of the app. That is why we mainly reasoned from their point of view and reduced the registration process of a big bag to its pure essence. The result: a basic, but very smooth and time-saving app that does what it’s supposed to do, without distractions or unnecessary functionalities.”
An additional advantage: the customer gains insight into the data in a structured and clear manner. “Because the information is also public, De Rederscentrale can further raise awareness about ‘Fishing for Litter’ and highlight the contribution of the fishing industry”, concludes Andries.
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