The problem: Many local and visiting fishers in Hawaiʻi struggle to find reliable information on where and when certain fish species are caught. This often leads to wasted trips, guesswork, or dependence on word-of-mouth information. In addition, data about fishing conditions is scattered or unavailable, making it difficult for fishers to plan effectively or fish sustainably.
The solution: The CatchMap Hawaiʻi web application allows users to log and share locations around Hawaiʻi where specific fish are caught and at what times. Users can post their fishing activity to the site, view where others are catching fish, and explore community-sourced data to plan their trips.
Once a user creates a profile, they can log fishing reports that include details such as species, location, time, and bait used. Other users can browse these reports, filtered by specific fish, regions, or time of day, to find useful fishing information.
The site will also use existing general data (such as fish migration or seasonality data) to help establish baseline information about where certain fish are typically caught.
Users can set up notifications to be alerted when new reports are posted about the fish they’re targeting or in the areas they frequent.
Admins can monitor the site for inappropriate content, verify or flag suspicious posts, and manage fish and location categories.
After implementing the basic functionality, here are ideas for more advanced features: