The evolution of information and communications technology in the fishery industry: The pathway for marine sustainability

Abstract

There is reason for concern, given the history of technology in the seas. Too often, the extinction and contamination of marine species have been exacerbated by technical advancements and more potent fisheries equipment. By considering the roles of fisheries production, information and communication technology, human capital, governance, carbon dioxide emissions, and economic growth from 1990 to 2022, this paper seeks to investigate the dynamic effect of ICT on the sustainability of the fisheries industry in 27 European countries. The findings showed a substantial positive link between information and communication technology and the fisheries sector at higher quantiles using the new Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) with fixed effects. Additionally, in the EU27 nations, the impact of economic growth was favorably significant across most quantiles. The findings show that the EU14 developed nations have greater ICT and economic development than the EU13 underdeveloped countries, which significantly benefits fisheries sustainability. At lower quantiles, the data revealed a significant positive association between human capital and the fisheries sector. Results show that developing countries in the EU13 have more significant human capital than industrialized nations in the EU14, which considerably benefits fisheries sustainability. On the other hand, across all quantiles in the EU27 area, the findings revealed a substantial positive link between carbon dioxide emissions and the fisheries sector. EU14 developed countries have a larger significant positive magnitude between carbon dioxide emissions and fisheries output than the EU13 underdeveloped nations. To accomplish sustainable development objectives, this study provides policymakers insight into how to encourage technological transmission factors in the EU14 and EU13 nations via effective and environmentally friendly technology in the fisheries sector.

Keywords: CO2; Economic growth; Fisheries sustainability; Governance; ICT.