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Emerging technology gives first ever global view of hidden vessels

Satellite radar and machine learning publicly reveal previously unseen vessel activity around the world Washington, D.C. – Global Fishing Watch has developed and publicly released the first ever global map of previously undetected dark fleets, or vessels that do not broadcast their location or appear in public monitoring systems. Powered by satellite radar imagery and

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whale shark swimming in the ocean with fish next to it

Satellite Technology Can Reveal Collision Risks for Whale Sharks

Global Fishing Watch data helps researchers link shipping traffic to whale shark fatalities The whale shark is the world’s largest fish, with adults weighing up to 5,000 pounds and reaching up to 20 meters in length. Earning the reputation of “gentle giant,” these massive creatures roam the tropical waters of the ocean, traveling long distances

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semounts

Satellite Data Casts Light on Seamounts at Risk

Emerging tools and datasets help quantify fishing pressure and can inform management at remote, unmonitored seamounts Seamounts—large underwater mountains— hold vital biological diversity, but they also contend with heavy exploitation. Numbering in the tens of thousands across vast stretches of the high seas, they have been favored targets for longline and deepwater trawl vessels. And

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United States Coast Guard patrols over illegal driftnet fishing vessel

xVIEW3 Challenge: Just Weeks left to Submit Algorithms to Help Detect and Defeat Illegal Fishing

xVIEW3’s leader board has been heating up with potential computer vision solutions to detect dark vessels to help shine a light on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activity Washington, D.C. — Close to 900 participants have begun to submit algorithms that could help transform our ability to rapidly identify potential IUU fishing activity and more effectively

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Transparent Ocean Data Can Drive Digital Innovation to Reveal Human Activity at Sea

Global Fishing Watch partners with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Decade of Ocean Science to bring digital innovation to fisheries monitoring Commercial fishing is vital to the food security, livelihoods and cultural identity of millions of people around the world. But the fish that sustain this industry freely swim across

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Systematic Data Analysis Reveals False Vessel Tracks

Analysis of tracking data from automatic identification system broadcasts reveals vessel locations have been simulated for a number of ships, including military vessels. This false information could compromise vessel safety, decrease confidence in a crucial collision avoidance system and potentially spark international conflict. Over the years, data analysts working with Global Fishing Watch and SkyTruth

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aerial vessel

New Study Claims Information Sharing is Key to Transparency in International Fisheries

Pacific case study suggests greater transparency will improve legitimacy and sustainability of tuna fisheries  Transshipment, the transfer of catch from fishing vessels to refrigerated cargo vessels (often called ‘reefers’ or ‘carriers’)  is an important part of many seafood supply chains. But when transshipment occurs at sea, loopholes in governance and gaps in monitoring can obscure

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Palmyra Atoll

Study Uses Satellite Technology to Reveal How Fisheries Respond to Marine Protection

A team of scientists investigate benefits of large marine protected areas Standing at sea level, looking out at the ocean, you can only see about three miles (5 km) from shore. The largest marine protected areas (MPAs), which restrict fishing for conservation or fisheries benefits, span up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from shore.

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Blue whales

Global Fishing Watch Data Reveals Ships Speed through Endangered Whale Habitat

When we click ‘buy’ online or check out at a retail store, we don’t often think about massive ships moving our products across the ocean. Yet we are all connected to the marine shipping industry by the goods we use every day. As the connectors of the global economy, cargo ships move up to 90

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Chinese lighting vessels

International Cooperation Uncovers Large-Scale Illegal Fishing, Highlights Need for More Multinational Efforts

Experts from four countries joined forces to find out the real cause behind drastic decline in squid catch   A Global Fishing Watch-led study uncovers what is possibly the largest ever documented case of illegal fishing by vessels originating from one country operating in another nation’s waters, leading to significant ramifications. The story behind the research

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Tuna Marine Protection

The Rewards of Large-Scale Marine Protection

To conserve or not to conserve Protecting large portions of our oceans from extractive activities can provide enormous benefits to society: food provisioning, carbon storage and sequestration, tourism, storm attenuation and coastline stabilization are only a few of them. So, why do Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) cover only 4.8% of the ocean today? When it

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Challenges an opportunities - Global Atlas of AIS - based fishing activity

The Global Atlas of AIS-based Fishing Activity

In 2018, Global Fishing Watch (GFW) published the first ever global maps of fishing activity using AIS data. These fishing maps drew on billions of GPS positions broadcast by over 60,000 fishing vessels, and they revealed fishing operations in all oceans in incredible detail. These new methods, though, had yet to be vetted by the

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Global Fishing Watch and Syiah Kuala University collaborate on fishing vessel data transparency

Banda Aceh, 1 November 2019 – Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh agreed to start collaborative research and development in the fisheries and marine sector in Indonesia. The Memorandum of Understanding which marked a two-year collaboration was signed by representatives of each party on October 22, 2019 at the Faculty of

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