HOOKLAB

A coastal fish citizen-science project for South Pelion, Greece, using recreational rod-and-line fishing as a low-impact way to collect structured biodiversity observations.

Coastal observations with scientific structure

HOOKLAB records more than species presence. Each observation can combine fish identity and length with release status, method, bait, depth, position and environmental conditions at the time of capture.
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The project focuses on Katigiorgis, Mourtias and the wider South Pelion coast, including areas of the Pagasitic Gulf and Aegean. It is designed to build a small but internally consistent local dataset on species composition, size structure, habitat association and seasonality.
Project at a glance
  • Study area: South Pelion, Greece
  • Method: Recreational rod-and-line observations
  • Languages: English and Greek
  • Data: Stored locally on the user's device
  • Outputs: CSV, PDF, email and calendar exports

What HOOKLAB does

The application combines field logging, local species information, environmental data and practical guidance in one mobile-first tool.

Structured catch logging

Record species, length, quantity, release status, bait, method, depth, location and notes.

Marine conditions

View sea surface temperature, waves, wind, pressure, sunrise, sunset and modelled water levels.

Nearby fish observations

Explore nearby photographed fish observations from iNaturalist within a selectable radius.

Fish size guidance

Check minimum landing sizes, protected or invasive status and other retention guidance.

On-screen measuring ruler

Calibrate the phone display using a standard bank card and measure total fish length in the field.

Offline-first design

Continue using the logbook, species information, cached records, ruler and exports when mobile coverage is unavailable.

Built around open scientific data

HOOKLAB uses established open services rather than running its own environmental models. Weather information is sourced from Open-Meteo, marine conditions from Open-Meteo Marine and nearby wildlife observations from iNaturalist.
A transparent rule layer on the device combines these sources with curated species information to support field decisions and structured recording.
Privacy by design​

HOOKLAB has no user accounts and no backend database for field records. Observations stay on the device that created them unless the user explicitly chooses to export or share them.

Supporting responsible recreational fishing

HOOKLAB presents minimum landing sizes, protected and invasive species information, bag-limit guidance and sensitive periods before a fish is retained.
​Regulatory information in HOOKLAB is provided as guidance. Fisheries rules can change and local provisions may be stricter. Fishers remain responsible for complying with current Greek and European fisheries regulations.
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FIELD APP · SOUTH PELION

HOOKLAB

Coastal fish observations, live fishing conditions, species guidance and field logging.

Launch app ↗