What is EarthRanger Buoy for?
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ER Buoy is a mobile app designed for both mobile and fixed-gear fishermen using on-demand (ropeless) fishing gear. The app automatically sends the user’s location from their mobile device to the EarthRanger platform. Based on this location, the app displays anonymized on-demand fishing gear within a 5 nautical mile radius on a real-time map. All gear data is fully anonymized to protect user privacy, and no login is required to use the app. By making nearby gear visible, ER Buoy helps fishermen deploy their ropeless gear more safely and efficiently, reducing the risk of gear conflicts with others. As a result, it also contributes to reducing whale entanglements in fishing gear and lowering whale mortality.
Use of the app is governed by the EarthRanger End User License Agreement (EULA), available at https://support.earthranger.com/en_US/legal-and-privacy-policies-overview.
For more information about AI2’s handling of location data, visit https://www.earthranger.com/privacy-policy |
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Getting Started
The first time EarthRanger Buoy is opened, you will be guided through a short setup sequence before the app becomes fully available.
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The app will first request access to your device's precise location. Tap Allow While Using App or Always and ensure Precise Location is set to On.
Note: If location permission is denied, it can be re-enabled at any time from your device settings. On iOS, go to Settings > Buoy > Location. On Android, go to Settings > Location > App Permission > ER Buoy. |
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After granting location access, a Location Disclaimer will confirm that fishermen can only see gear within 5 nautical miles of their current location, and that location data is not stored or made visible to others.
You must read and accept EarthRanger's End User License Agreement (EULA) before proceeding. Tap Accept and Continue to confirm. |
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Onboarding Tutorial
After setup, a short tutorial introduces the key concepts of the app. The tutorial can be skipped and revisited at any time from Settings > Tutorials.
The tutorial covers the following concepts:
- Trawl Line ID — an identifier assigned by the Buoy app to distinguish trawl lines from one another.
- Timestamp — the time the specific gear device was set by the fisherman.
- Device ID — the ropeless gear device ID assigned by the manufacturer.
- Copy Coordinates — how to copy a gear's GPS coordinates to the clipboard.
- Privacy — your location is not visible to other app users and gear visibility is limited to 5 nmi.
Map
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The Map tab displays an interactive map of ropeless fishing gear near your current location. Each gear item appears as a marker showing its surface GPS position.
Tap the center-on-user button to re-center the map on your current position. |
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Gear configured with multiple devices — such as trawl lines — is shown with a connecting line between device markers on the map.
Tapping a gear marker opens the Gear Details panel at the bottom of the screen.
A pink drop shadow around each marker represents the 150 m variance between the surface GPS position and the actual seafloor location. |
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Note: When GPS or internet signal is lost, gear markers turn grey and a Connection Lost notification is displayed. Gear locations may have changed when the connection is restored.
Gear
The Gear tab shows a list of all ropeless fishing gear detected near your current location.
Each row displays the gear's Display ID, current status (Deployed or Hauled), last updated timestamp, and the associated Device IDs.
Tap any row to open the full Gear Details screen for that item.
Tap the Download button to fetch the latest gear data for your configured download range.
If you are not connected to Wi-Fi, a confirmation prompt will appear before using mobile data.
Gear Details
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The Gear Details screen shows a full view of a single gear item, including an embedded map of the gear's location and a complete list of its associated devices.
Each device entry shows its Device ID, label, and last updated timestamp.
Tap the copy icon next to a device's coordinates to copy them to the clipboard. |
Settings
The Settings tab contains configuration options organized into four sections: Alerts, Data, Display, and About.
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Alerts Audio Alerts — When enabled, an alert sound plays whenever gear is detected within 5 nautical miles of your current location. This setting is enabled by default.
Data Download Range — Controls how far away gear data is fetched. Available options are 250 nm (default), 500 nm, and 750 nm. Regardless of download range, gear is only visible within a 5 nm radius of your location.
Note: Downloading on Wi-Fi is recommended to avoid mobile data usage.
Display Device Never Sleeps — When enabled, prevents the device screen from going dark while the app is in use. This is useful when the device is mounted and the screen needs to remain visible.
About Provides links to the Privacy Policy, End User License Agreement, Report an Issue form, and Tutorials to re-launch the onboarding walkthrough. |
Privacy and Location Data
EarthRanger Buoy requires access to your device's precise location to display gear near you. Your location and activity history are not stored and are never visible to other users of the app.
Gear visibility is scoped to a 5 nautical mile radius around your current position. Other fishermen using the app cannot see your location.
For full details, refer to the EarthRanger Privacy Policy.
EarthRanger Buoy version 1.3.2