Estimation of Fish Catch Using Sentinel-2, 3 and XGBoost-Kernel-Based Kernel Ridge Regression
It addresses sustainable fisheries management for global food security by improving satellite-based assessment, though it is incremental as it combines existing methods on new data.
This study tackled the problem of estimating fish catch by using multispectral images from Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 satellites with an XGBoost-kernelized Kernel Ridge Regression technique, achieving the strongest correlation and lowest prediction error across sensors to capture nonlinear ocean-fish connections.
Oceanographic factors, such as sea surface temperature and upper-ocean dynamics, have a significant impact on fish distribution. Maintaining fisheries that contribute to global food security requires quantifying these connections. This study uses multispectral images from Sentinel-2 MSI and Sentinel-3 OLCI to estimate fish catch using an Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)-kernelized Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR) technique. According to model evaluation, the XGBoost-KRR framework achieves the strongest correlation and the lowest prediction error across both sensors, suggesting improved capacity to capture nonlinear ocean-fish connections. While Sentinel-2 MSI resolves finer-scale spatial variability, emphasizing localized ecological interactions, Sentinel-3 OLCI displays smoother spectral responses associated with poorer spatial resolution. By supporting sustainable ecosystem management and strengthening satellite-based fisheries assessment, the proposed approach advances SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 14 (Life Below Water).