SIMON: Driving the Digital Transition of Artisanal Fisheries in Peru
- Eloy Aroni
- Oct 1
- 6 min read
In a sector marked by informality and limited use of technological tools, SIMON emerges as a key for all those involved in artisanal fisheries. By combining satellite monitoring with digital traceability, this platform will certify the origin of each catch and take the first step towards the fisherman’s digital identity. This will open up new pathways for formalization and, in the future, provide access to data and services that were previously out of reach.
Eloy Aroni Sulca, Technology Department; and Priscilla Verastegui, Innovation Department
ArtisOnal proudly celebrates that SIMON (Integrated Monitoring System), an initiative developed by our Technology and Innovation Departments, has been selected as one of the winning projects of StartUp Perú 11G fund, in the Solution for Climate Change category. This development is being carried out thanks to the co-financing and technical support of the ProInnóvate Program of the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) of Peru.
This achievement marks a key milestone in our commitment to developing technological solutions that strengthen and promote the sustainability of artisanal fisheries in Peru. SIMON will be the first platform in the country to integrate vessel satellite monitoring and digital traceability into a single tool—an articulated urgent need for the sector, enabling artisanal fishermen to certify the origin of their catch, advance their formalization, while protecting marine ecosystems.
The Challenge: A Technological Gap
Despite its economic, social, and cultural importance, artisanal fishing in Peru continues to operate with tools that do not reflect the technological advances of the last decade.
The Fourth Structural Survey of Artisanal Fisheries on the Peruvian Coast (ENEPA IV) recorded over 23,000 artisanal vessels, but only about 1,850 of them currently have satellite monitoring. That means approximately 92% of the fleet operates without technology to guarantee traceability.
This situation not only limits government oversight but is also exploited by those engaged in illegal fishing, affecting the sector’s competitiveness and keeping the final consumer uninformed about the effort behind the seafood reaching their table.
Currently, catch and landing records remain manual and poorly integrated into digital systems, causing a high loss of information. Recent studies show that 65% of fish products in Peru involve species substitution, meaning up to 7 out of 10 fish are not what the consumer believes they are buying.
Moreover, the lack of digital tools render fishermen invisible to the formal system. This prevents them from demonstrating regulatory compliance, accessing certifications, integrating into formal value chains, and accessing financial services. As a result, informality becomes a structural condition. According to the ILO, 80% of the fisheries sector operates outside the formal system—not by choice, but due to the lack of technological alternatives.
"I’ve been fishing for 55 years. Before, there was no way to prove that my fish came from legal catches or to distinguish if it was sourced from those using destructive methods. With SIMON, now I can show, right from my cellphone, a digital certificate that proves my catch is responsible. This makes my work more valued and opens new doors. Even restaurants can tell their customers where the fish comes from—and that they’re eating real flounder." — Ventura Gonzales, artisanal fisher, Chorrillos pier
The growing threat of climate change further complicates this picture. Ocean conditions and migratory routes of key species for artisanal fisheries, such as jumbo flying squid and mahi-mahi, are rapidly shifting. These changes create an increasingly uncertain scenario for more than 77,000 fishers and their families, directly affecting their livelihoods and economic security.
In this context, the lack of reliable technological tools and data further weakens the basis needed for decision-making, limiting fishery management and putting long-term sustainability at risk.
Technological Duplication
Peru’s digital fisheries ecosystem is developing but remains fragmented. Two primary systems—SISESAT and SITRAPESCA—operate independently, leading to duplicate records that burden artisanal fishermen.
On one side, SISESAT tracks vessel locations and routes in real time, expanding its coverage with accessible technologies like AIS-VHF and, more recently, mobile apps operating on cellular networks. On the other side, SITRAPESCA manages product traceability from sea to market and was originally designed for industrial fishing. Its implementation only started in the artisanal sector in 2021.
The problem is that these systems do not communicate with each other. While SISESAT has a regulatory schedule for gradual implementation based on vessel storage capacity, SITRAPESCA still lacks clear rules for artisanal fisheries, making its use voluntary. Fishermen, however, would have to provide similar information to both systems.
A clear example: SISESAT automatically records fishing zones via geolocation, but the fishermen must manually enter the same data into SITRAPESCA. This not only increases the operational workload but also raises the risk of errors, omissions, or even sanctions for unintentional non-compliance.
The result is a digital bureaucracy that, instead of facilitating formalization, discourages it.
SIMON: A Friend in the Digital Transition of Artisanal Fisheries
Faced with informality, administrative overload, and technological fragmentation, SIMON emerges as an innovative proposal that puts technology at the service of those who live off the sea.
SIMON will be the first digital platform in Peru to combine two key systems for the sector: SISESAT (vessel satellite monitoring) and SITRAPESCA (fishery product traceability). This integration avoids duplication, reduces administrative burden, and facilitates regulatory compliance. With SIMON, fishermen can:
Navigate more safely, thanks to real-time geographic and meteorological alerts
Digitally record their fishing activities to avoid data loss and strengthen traceability
Issue a digital certificate of origin to verify the legal source of resources throughout the entire value chain
Build a formal digital identity, a crucial step for accessing new markets, financial services, and guild representation
Accessible from a cellphone and adapted to the work rhythms at sea, SIMON turns informality into opportunity, fostering a more transparent, sustainable, and fair fishery.
"This is the first time I’ve heard about digital identity in fisheries. We’ve always relied on paperwork. I was excited to see that SIMON can help make my work visible and show that women are also part of artisanal fishing. We’re often forgotten, but by keeping my records digitally, I can prove that women are also here, contributing.” — Edilberta Rubiños, boat owner and vendor, Ancón pier.
But SIMON doesn’t just digitalize; it also formalizes and makes visible. Through digital identity, the platform recognizes and documents the participation of those who have been historically invisible to the system—especially highlighting the important role of women throughout the fisheries value chain. It also incorporates functions such as georeferenced incident reporting (for illegal vessels, accidents, and unusual events), strengthening participatory surveillance and defense of marine resources.
In times of climate change, economic pressures, and regulatory shifts, SIMON becomes a trusted partner for the digital transformation of artisanal fisheries.
The Strategic Context: International Commitments and Opportunities
Transitioning to digital traceability in artisanal fishing—one of the most diverse and complex sectors in the country—poses a significant challenge. However, Peru has made firm commitments in this direction. At the latest Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and in trade relations with countries like South Korea and Japan, Peru has promised to strengthen its certification and traceability systems—key components for gaining access to more demanding markets and developing more sustainable and competitive fisheries.
Yet putting this vision into practice involves structural challenges. The recent report “Traceability of Artisanal Fisheries: Challenges and Opportunities” identifies three critical dimensions for effective implementation of tools like SITRAPESCA in the artisanal sector.
Legal and institutional: Ensuring data confidentiality and streamlining key processes like permits and ownership transfers through improved coordination between Regional Governments and PRODUCE.
Technological: Adapting digital tools to the realities of artisanal fishermen, ensuring reliable and validated data.
Logistical and human: Developing an inclusive, ongoing training strategy led by public entities such as PRODUCE, IMARPE, and SANIPES, in partnership with civil society and NGOs, to make sure no one is left behind.
In this scenario, technological interoperability is essential to join efforts. PRODUCE has officially recognized, through the “Guidelines for interoperability," the need to integrate complementary platforms like SIMON into the national traceability system, paving the way for more inclusive, scalable, and real-adapted solutions for artisanal fisheries.
"My skippers and crew members were surprised to learn that with SIMON, we will be able to get a work certificate that records our fishing hours. We had never seen anything like that before. Sometimes, when fishing is slow, many of us look for other jobs but have no way to prove we’ve spent years at sea. A certificate of our activity reflects our effort and gives us more options when facing those moments.”— Luis Condori, fishing skipper, La Planchada artisanal port
SIMON is more than just an app. It represents a commitment to bring technology closer to those who live and rely on the sea, making their operations easier while valuing their knowledge and experience. In contrast to fragmented and costly systems, SIMON provides an integrated, practical, and accessible solution—one that honors traditional methods while adding key innovations for long-term sustainability.
After validating the initial prototype with artisanal men and women in the fishing industry, SIMON is now moving into its refinement and deployment phase. This progress has been made possible by seed funding from ProInnóvate, support from Scale Incubator, and the strategic partnership of C4ADS. Yet, the real driving force behind this initiative is the fishing communities themselves, who, from the very beginning, have shared their voices, experiences, and visions at every stage of ideation, design, and validation, actively shaping this tool into what it is today.
SIMON is more than just a technological solution. From our team, we are working on a powerful social transformation tool that dignifies artisanal fishing work and builds a more sustainable future for our oceans.
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