2024 Annual Report
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Message from the CEO
Global Fishing Watch’s mission is to secure a healthy, productive and resilient ocean using technology and transparency to transform ocean governance. In 2024, we made significant progress towards our ambitious 2030 strategy.
We started out strong, publishing our groundbreaking study on the footprint of human activity at sea in Nature. In unveiling the first global map of large-vessel traffic and offshore infrastructure, we established the foundation of our open ocean project, supported by The Audacious Project, to map all industrial human activity at sea.
Alarmingly, the study revealed that about 75 percent of the world’s industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked, and more than 25 percent of transport and energy vessel activity is also missing from public tracking systems. This reinforces what we already knew: decision-makers aren’t getting timely, understandable information about the ocean that they can act on — and knowledge and insights that could transform marine management and help protect the ocean are being missed.
Since 2015, we have been developing tools and technologies to change this. In particular, we have focused on the role of vessel tracking to monitor fishing and other activities at sea. Now, we’re putting those tools to use where they are needed — and we’re achieving results.
Over the past year, we have been growing our international policy work, and we saw a big win when the United Nations General Assembly resolution on sustainable fisheries recognized the need for transparency to be “standard practice rather than an exception.” This is a huge step forward in tackling illegal fishing at an international level. What we need now is a globally binding agreement mandating the use of tracking technology on fishing vessels, enabling better oversight and accountability of fisheries.
Our national partners have been leading the way. Panama passed a new fisheries regulation incorporating our technical guidance and mandated all vessels operating internationally under the Panamanian flag carry an International Maritime Organization number — a major achievement for one of the world’s largest distant-water fleets. Chile has requested our support as it revises its fisheries law, and Brazil has committed to review its vessel tracking policy and requested our recommendations.
We also contributed our expertise to a new management plan for Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park, which now reflects the principle of transparency and explicitly acknowledges our role in strengthening monitoring and enforcement for one of the largest no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. And in the Mediterranean, we played a vital role in establishing the first fisheries restricted area between an EU and a non-EU country in the Otranto Channel between Italy and Albania.
These achievements contribute to our efforts to strengthen biodiversity protection globally. Our marine manager portal, co-founded by ocean advocate Dona Bertarelli, benefited from a renewed partnership and now provides users with unparalleled information about any given area of the ocean and integrates 30 layers of data on human, biological and oceanographic activity. This can help map out risks to existing MPAs and identify where new MPAs are needed – helping governments fulfil their commitments to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030, which we’re supporting through our partnership with the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.
Technology remains at the heart of our work, but it’s essential that the tools we create are in the hands of those who need them most. In 2025, we will be even more dedicated to building partnerships with countries, agencies and civil society organizations as we seek to influence policies and practices at national and international levels. Together, we can use technology and transparency to drive better governance and secure the future of our ocean.
Best wishes,
Tony Long
CEO, Global Fishing Watch
Our Impact
Over the past year, Global Fishing Watch has made bold strides in advancing transparency as the foundation of equitable ocean governance. We’ve sharpened our open-source tools, deepened partnerships with governments and multilateral organizations, and delivered innovative research that is reshaping the conversation on ocean management. At its core, our work is driving policy change and rallying action for a healthier, more sustainable ocean for all.
Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished.
A groundbreaking study led by Global Fishing Watch and published in the journal Nature shed new light on the expanding footprint of hidden human activity at sea. Released in collaboration with research partners, the study produced the first global map of large-vessel traffic and offshore infrastructure, revealing an unprecedented view of previously unseen industrial activity at sea. The open data and technology used by the researchers will now help governments, scientists and civil society better understand the complex industrial workspace that makes up our ocean.
The past year saw a flurry of announcements as Global Fishing Watch unveiled two pioneering collaborations with the Government of Greece and the West African Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission as well as a renewed partnership with Panama. Signed amid the annual Our Ocean Conference, the agreements reinforced Global Fishing Watch’s leading role as a purveyor of technology and data-driven solutions for enhanced transparency, improved fisheries management and more informed marine protection.
Three-quarters of fish stocks in the Mediterranean are overfished, threatening the region’s unique biodiversity and the communities that have relied on the sea’s marine resources for generations. Global Fishing Watch partnered with the Government of Albania to create a comprehensive analysis of fishing activity in the Otranto Channel. The efforts shed light on risks posed to vulnerable marine ecosystems, like deep-water corals, and helped lead to the creation of the Otranto Channel fisheries restricted area, which will keep the area’s fisheries sustainable and protect local marine biodiversity.
In 2024, the United Nations General Assembly took a critical step toward making transparency a standard practice when it passed a resolution on sustainable fisheries. Adopted through consensus, the resolution followed inputs provided by Global Fishing Watch and marked an important milestone in the journey toward advancing transparency, vessel tracking and the identification of ultimate beneficial ownership in fisheries management.
As delegates convened in Cali, Colombia for the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, an op-ed by Global Fishing Watch chief executive officer Tony Long highlighted technology’s growing role in advancing transparent and sustainable ocean governance. Long urged governments to step up their commitment to protecting ocean biodiversity and ensuring marine conservation, calling on them to leverage technological solutions, such as Marine Manager, to act on those commitments by the 2030 deadline.
Global Fishing Watch’s firm commitment to transparency has positioned the organization as a relentless and vocal advocate for an international vessel tracking agreement. To mark World Fisheries Day 2024, our chief executive officer Tony Long urged Member States to establish a binding treaty requiring fishing vessels operating outside of their flag State’s waters to be publicly tracked and for that information to be shared beyond just governments.
Costa Rica has massively expanded the size of the Cocos Island National Park from 784 square miles (2,032 square kilometers) to a staggering 21,175 square miles (54,844 square kilometers). But managing such a vast expanse of water brings significant challenges — especially as the region’s rich marine life attracts large numbers of fishing vessels, including foreign fleets operating illegally. By regularly using Global Fishing Watch’s marine manager portal to monitor the Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rican authorities documented a marked reduction in illegal fishing in 2024.
Authorities in Papua New Guinea used Global Fishing Watch data to support their 2024 investigation into a fishing vessel’s suspected illegal activity in their country’s waters. By accessing Global Fishing Watch data and intelligence, fishery authorities from the Pacific Island nation were successful in identifying 22 potential AIS disabling events and eventually confirming the vessel’s violations. The collaboration between Global Fishing Watch and Papua New Guinea’s National Fisheries Authority ultimately resulted in the vessel being fined.
The 2024 United Nations climate conference (COP29) saw global decision-makers seek new ways to pinpoint high-impact opportunities to tackle climate change. However, among all the information leveraged by climate actors, critical ocean data has long been an elusive component — until now. Presented to COP29 conference delegates in Baku, Azerbaijan, Climate TRACE announced a new data release, unveiling the integration of Global Fishing Watch’s unique dataset — which maps and estimates vessel emissions — into the coalition’s platform.
A 2024 study led by the University of Washington published in Science leveraged Global Fishing Watch data to find that fewer than 7 percent of global hotspots for whale and ship collisions have protection measures in place. The study sparked widespread media coverage, spotlighting the urgent need for greater oversight of waterways that overlap with whale migration or feeding areas.
The past year saw a breakthrough in transparent ocean governance amid the Government of Senegal’s progressive decision to publish the list of vessels authorized to fish in its national waters. The decision, which fed off of key recommendations made by Global Fishing Watch, was a much-needed measure towards a more sustainable and transparent management of the country’s marine resources. In a press statement, Dame Mboup, Global Fishing Watch’s Africa lead, welcomed Senegal’s move.
A new agreement signed by Global Fishing Watch and the British Royal Navy will see the two entities build a global maritime database aimed at enhancing maritime domain awareness and bolstering the ability to conduct risk assessments. Forged late last year, the partnership is yet another high-profile collaboration that leverages transparency to prevent and address incidents taking place on the open sea, including illegal fishing, and encourages critical ocean data be made accessible to all.
Last year saw the genesis of a new strategic partnership between Global Fishing Watch and the Gulf of Guinea Regional Fisheries Commission aimed at addressing urgent maritime challenges in the Gulf of Guinea. With the goal of boosting existing efforts in marine resource management and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the partnership represents a new wave of transparency in ocean governance as Global Fishing Watch continues to unlock previously closed datasets and apply cutting-edge technology to strengthen fisheries management.
From supporting marine protection efforts in the Mediterranean to contributing to the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific, Global Fishing Watch’s efforts at the intersection of sustainability and innovation are catalyzing positive change in our ocean.
Global Fishing Watch in Action
At Global Fishing Watch, our people are what make the mission possible. Behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, staff work around the clock to make our vision for the ocean a reality. Check out some of our highlights from 2024.
Fish Forum 2024
Antalya, Turkey
Senior fisheries analyst, Luca Marsaglia, had the privilege of representing Global Fishing Watch at the 2024 Fish Forum hosted by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Luca led an in-depth overview and demonstration of Global Fishing Watch’s tools, their applications and most effective uses. In collaboration with Fish-X, we were able to show how technology plays a crucial role in monitoring the quality, efficiency and impact of fisheries restricted areas.
Inspiring Solutions at the World Ocean Summit
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon hosted the 11th World Ocean Summit bringing together a vast group of experts, businesses, governments and members of civil society that make up the ocean community. To coincide with the summit’s “How to” workshops, we joined Protected Seas, Fish 2.0, WildAid and Pronatura in examining how transparency can be harnessed in managing marine protected areas and helping countries meet the global target of protecting 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.
An Ocean of Potential
Athens, Greece
Global Fishing Watch joined forces with the Government of Greece and the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation at the 9th Our Ocean Conference, co-hosting a side event under the theme “Technology for Good.” A panel comprising the Undersecretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture from Chile, the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission and the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor Secretariat, focused discussion on the vital role of innovation in enhancing fisheries management and shared insights on how transparency and technology are helping fight illegal fishing and advancing global conservation targets.
Innovation at the U.N.Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development
Barcelona, Spain
The city of Barcelona hosted the U.N. Ocean Decade, serving as a focal point for a diverse set of stakeholders eager to catalyze new opportunities and harness “the science we want for the ocean we want.” Members from our product development team, led by Annie Mejaes, joined partners to participate in a forum focused on the monitoring and management of marine protected areas. Illustrating the power of Marine Manager, the team demonstrated how the tool can be used to equip managers and other stakeholders with interactive data on ocean conditions to improve oversight of human activity in and around protected areas.
Supporting Biodiversity at COP 16
Cali, Colombia
We teamed up with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, or IDDRI, the ICCF Group and other partners at the 2024 U.N. Biodiversity Conference to take a crucial look at the conditions in which emerging technologies can support ocean conservation and mitigate biodiversity loss. Presenting our work across two side events, our own Kristina Raab and Monica Espinoza Miralles illustrated the benefits of transparency and open data when it comes to area-based fisheries management on the high seas and the management of industrial fisheries overall. Providing another great opportunity to highlight our marine manager portal, COP16 helped advance discussion on the designation, monitoring and management of marine protected areas in support of 30×30 conservation.
Strengthening Marine Protected Area Management in the Eastern Tropical Pacific
Latin America
In 2024, Global Fishing Watch collaborated with marine environmental management practitioners from the countries of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), conducting seven participatory workshops across Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama. Through these efforts, we trained more than 140 professionals responsible for overseeing 11 marine protected areas that span more than 772,000 square miles of ocean.
With the support from Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy and in close coordination with CMAR’s Pro-tempore Technical Secretariat and national authorities, we reinforced our commitment to the effective management of marine protected areas. Our work has positioned Marine Manager as the primary tool for importing, analyzing and sharing data on human activity, ecological trends and environmental conditions across the region. By equipping practitioners with advanced monitoring and analysis capabilities, we are helping safeguard biodiversity and supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities within this critical marine network.
Building Momentum Toward the U.N. Ocean Conference
San Jose, Costa Rica
In June, Costa Rica hosted a high-level preliminary event to advance preparations for the United Nations Ocean Conference, which will take place in Nice, France later this year. Moving through a packed agenda, our delegation helped support a demonstration booth led by the CMAR Secretariat to showcase Global Fishing Watch’s Marine Manager — an innovative technology portal co-founded by Dona Bertarelli that’s being used to support the governance of a cluster of ten iconic marine protected areas in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Our head of Latin America, Monica Espinoza Miralles, also moderated a panel at the “Immersed in Change” event that brought together local, regional and international members of the ocean commity with the goal of accelerating ocean action.
Making Waves at COFI 36
Rome, Italy
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI) is the largest international gathering of policymakers, experts and partners in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Convening every two years, it is the only global intergovernmental forum where FAO Members meet to critically consider and address key sectoral issues. At the 36th Session of COFI, Global Fishing Watch took to the floor to address harmful illegal fishing, which undermines food security, impedes sustainability and allows for environmental degradation. Our key recommendations to combat this threat: pursue a binding global agreement requiring the use of vessel tracking systems and sharing of positional data; share beneficial ownership information through the FAO Global Record; enhance data transparency through the availability of innovative technology.
Partnership in the Pacific
Majuro, Republic of Marshall Islands
In 2022, The Republic of the Marshall Islands made the bold decision to commit to publicly sharing its vessel tracking data on the Global Fishing Watch map. We are proud to support their ongoing sustainability efforts, and in June we co-hosted a workshop with the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority aimed at bolstering transparency across the fishing sector. Along with members from the seafood industry, we developed a joint work plan aimed at enhancing fishing regulations and clamping down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Protecting Cocos Island
San José, Costa Rica
Cocos Island is the largest marine protected area in Central America and home to over 2,600 plant and animal species. Last spring, Global Fishing Watch was invited to a workshop organized by NGOs WildAid and the Friends of Cocos Island Foundation to carry out a specialized training on the use of our map and Marine Manager, an innovative technology portal co-founded by Dona Bertarelli. Working in collaboration with the hosts as well as the Cocos Marine Conservation Area, National Coast Guard Service, Costa Rican Fisheries Institute and others, our talented team guided interactive sessions to help participants access and interpret vessel tracking data and demonstrate how this information can help enhance monitoring, control and surveillance in addition to other aspects of their conservation management plan.
Bolstering Ocean Management with the Taiwan Fisheries Agency
Taipei
In our continuing efforts to support fisheries management in Asia, we co-hosted a workshop with the Taiwan Fisheries Agency to explore ways to collaboratively advance international fisheries governance. Building on a previous collaboration with them and TMT, we identified key areas for cooperation, which include: combatting unsustainable fishing, harnessing open technology to improve access to fisheries data, and pursuing joint international goals towards transparency and better ocean management.
Fun Fact:
Over the course of 2024, Global Fishing Watch led 69 trainings across 46 countries, engaging a total of nearly 5,000 people on the organization’s pioneering tools and data.
Fighting Illegal Fishing with the FAO
Panama City, Panama
Representatives from more than 60 countries convened in Panama for a meeting of the FAO’s Global Record Working Group and the Technical Working Group on Information Exchange. Hosted by the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama, Global Fishing Watch was honored to participate in the discussions, highlighting how innovative technologies and policies based on transparency can be used to close loopholes on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Workshopping in Vietnam
Hanoi, Vietnam
Two days of highly-productive activities with Vietnam’s Department of Fisheries and the Center for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development allowed us to collaboratively explore work plans that can help strengthen cooperation, advance priorities for the local fisheries sector, and support the sustainable development and management of fisheries. We look forward to our continued work together, supporting the country’s efforts in enhancing data-driven management, improving vessel tracking systems and combatting illegal fishing.
Trekking Panama: A Trip to Inspire
Panama
Highlights from the North American Seafood Expo
Boston, U.S.
Bringing together one of the largest groups of owners, proprietors, purchasing managers and buyers from the seafood industry, the North American Seafood Expo is held each year at the Boston Convention Center. Last year, we joined our partners from Fishwise, Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and Friends of Ocean Action at the World Economic Forum for a panel discussion to examine ways we can combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing across seafood supply chains. Sharing our joint work on the Supply Chain Risk Project, we demonstrated the need for vessel-level data in achieving full traceability and illustrated the power of Vessel Viewer in supporting due diligence.
ASEAN Workshop
Los Baños, Laguna, The Philippines
In July, Global Fishing Watch teamed up with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity to hold a capacity-building workshop to dive into science-based solutions that can help upscale conservation initiatives focused on marine biodiversity. Members of our team helped representatives from the centre create and interpret map visualizations, and apply our data and analysis tools to support their ocean monitoring.
Putting the Principles of Fisheries Transparency into Practice
Valparaíso, Chile
In early November, we convened a one-day consultation with Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service focused on exchanging knowledge and experiences in the realm of fisheries-related data-sharing. Along with the Undersecretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Fisheries Development Institute and the navy, we brainstormed solutions that address challenges in current data-sharing practices. We used this valuable time to understand how we can improve our training materials and capacity development to meet the needs of our Chilean counterparts, ultimately supporting their ambition to be global leaders in fisheries transparency.
Innovation Updates
Innovation is not just about the development of new ideas or the unveiling of groundbreaking technology. It is also about refinement, enhancing what already exists to a level that is more effective, more precise and more accessible — to all and for all.
At Global Fishing Watch, we are committed to continuous improvement, ensuring our tools and data not only evolve but that they also deliver. That means making them more accessible and intuitive for our users while facilitating more purposeful solutions for the issues they are trying to solve. In short, it means driving impact.
Platform Enhancements
In 2024, we implemented a number of substantial improvements to our platform, from an overhaul of our data pipeline and its technical infrastructure to the enhanced accuracy of vessel-level results seen in our tools and data. Our new high-resolution maps now offer fisheries managers and researchers sharper insights into vessel activity, making it easier to detect patterns and assess compliance.
Dynamic Marine Management
Marine Manager, co-founded by Dona Bertarelli, expanded its capabilities with 12 new layers of environmental data and the ability for users to upload personalized datasets, allowing for more customized visualizations and analyses. Shared workspaces were also introduced into the platform to foster collaboration, along with multi-location analyses and the means to filter individual vessel tracks by speed and depth. These improvements are now supporting managers, NGOs and researchers in their efforts toward dynamic marine management and the sustainable use of ocean resources.
Vessel Detection: Supplementing with Satellite Imagery
A new dataset featuring Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar imagery has enhanced our vessel detection ability, helping create a more accurate picture of industrial-sized vessels and their activity. Updated daily, the dataset covers a time period from 2017 to five days ago and incorporates information derived from models that were developed as part of our 2024 study, “Satellite mapping reveals extensive industrial activity at sea.” By cross-referencing this imagery with automatic identification system data, these Sentinel-1 images can either help identify vessel details or fill gaps in information that act as “blind spots” when monitoring coastal waters.
Unleashing the Potential of Vessel Viewer
Vessel Viewer underwent key enhancements — many of which were driven by user feedback — introducing vessel insight reports to support due diligence, operational planning, and the assessment of potential illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Managers and enforcement authorities can now also cross-reference vessels with regional fisheries management organizations’ IUU vessel lists, identify when and where a vessel has disabled their tracking system, and determine whether a vessel was detected fishing in a no-take protected area or in a jurisdiction where the vessel has no known authorization. Additionally, users can now conduct automated vessel group analyses, which aid fisheries and compliance managers in reviewing identity, activity and insights for fleets of vessels. This bulk search option allows for the analysis of up to 1,000 vessels at a time, streamlining fleet-wide monitoring.
Joint Analytical Cell: A Year in Review
Building on its momentum from 2023, when it welcomed C4ADS and Skylight into its ranks, the Joint Analytical Cell (JAC) has spent the past year deepening its engagement with stakeholders to enhance capacity, refine risk assessments, and bolster global monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) efforts.
Through its support of the ports program led by TMT and Global Fishing Watch, the JAC conducted technical workshops focused on further building risk assessment skills to support the implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), an international treaty aimed to curb illegal fishing. In 2024, six new countries were welcomed into the program with inception workshops providing an opportunity to provide training on JAC tools and data.
Representatives from the four pilot countries met with the new cohort of participants in Antananarivo, Madagascar, helping cultivate a network of countries to support PSMA implementation and allowing for crucial knowledge exchange. In late 2024, the JAC received further support to extend the program outside of Africa. As part of these efforts, the JAC conducted workshops with the fisheries departments, port and maritime authorities, and coast guards from Peru and Chile to introduce these countries to Vessel Viewer and provide practical experience in using the vessel history tool and tracking data to support PSMA analysis.
Throughout the year, capacity building remained a cornerstone of the JAC’s mission. The JAC delivered a number of trainings around the globe to deliver targeted support aimed at helping countries enhance their MCS efforts. From a technical knowledge exchange with Vietnam’s Department of Fisheries Surveillance to a needs-based training on data and tools to support enforcement operations with the Seychelles Fishing Authority, the JAC tailored its expertise to deliver actionable enforcement insights to key partners. And in the Philippines, the JAC offered a specialized PSMA-focused training for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, providing support to help Filipino authorities ensure no IUU fish enters their seafood supply chain.
The JAC additionally played a pivotal role in strengthening enforcement and collaboration within the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, known as CMAR. Partnering with Pacífico, WildAid, and OceanMind, the JAC supported two in-depth assessments and collaborative workshops on IUU fishing enforcement risks and capacity gaps, presenting CMAR with a comprehensive set of recommendations to be integrated into their upcoming five-year action plan. The JAC also developed a formal mechanism for CMAR country authorities to request technical support and training from the JAC to enhance their MCS capabilities, providing analysis and intelligence reports on four cases of suspected IUU fishing in the CMAR region.
In pursuit of its strategic objectives, the JAC has been providing pre-operations intelligence briefings to authorities responsible for conducting on-the-water enforcement operations. These briefings provide critical information on the spatial and temporal patterns of key remote sensing datasets, capturing vessel activities and providing decision-makers with actionable information that enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of their patrols. In 2024, the JAC provided patrol briefings to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency’s regional enforcement operations, two Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans-led patrols in the North Pacific and around the Philippines, as well as to two enforcement operations in collaboration with the Fisheries Commission of Western and Central Gulf of Guinea and the French Navies Atlantic Command.
In the coming year, the JAC will continue strengthening efforts to combat illegal fishing across Africa, the Eastern Tropical Pacific and the IndoPacific region. Key objectives and activities to enhance fisheries MCS will include capacity development workshops focused on port controls and general fisheries enforcement, analytical and intelligence support to fisheries patrols, and providing data and analytical expertise to support discrete cases of suspected IUU fishing. By deepening regional cooperation and leveraging data-driven approaches, the JAC aims to enhance the effectiveness of IUU fishing deterrence and contribute to sustainable fisheries management.
Global Fishing Watch by the Numbers
Financials
Income and expenses
Our overall income in 2024 was U.S.$21.2 million with a total spend of U.S.$21.5 million, a decrease of U.S.$50 million and an increase of U.S.$7.1 million respectively on the previous year.
The significant reduction in total income is due to the recognition in 2023 of a five-year U.S.$60 million commitment through The Audacious Project to map all human activity at sea and scale our work to strengthen ocean governance. The increase in spending reflects our implementation of this project in 2024.
Approximately 85 cents of every dollar spent in 2024 was in support of Global Fishing Watch’s programs. The remainder was used on operational and administrative functions as well as additional fundraising initiatives.
Our expenditure includes U.S.$7.7 million directly on our transparency initiatives and international policy work; U.S.$4.1 million directly on research and innovation; U.S.$5.1 million on engineering and product development, U.S.$1.4 million on communications, and U.S.$3.1 million on support costs, including operations and fundraising.
Reserves
Our total cash reserves in 2024 was U.S.$4.1 million. Under the direction of our board, we have developed a plan to build our reserve to U.S.$12 million by 2030, which accounts for approximately 21 weeks of budgeted funds expenditure. By doing this, we ensure an appropriate level of accessible funds to mitigate against identified financial risks while also allowing for timely and strategic use of our resources.
Donors
We are extremely grateful to all of our funders for their continued generosity across all areas of our work, and we are committed to ensuring our income is used efficiently, effectively and responsibly.
In 2024, we secured a three-year U.S.$1.5 million partnership with Oceans 5 to support our new partnership with the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission, a regional fisheries organization consisting of seven West African States. The partnership aims to enhance regional capacity and insights, using shared data and our tools, to improve maritime domain awareness and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
We were also thrilled to renew our partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy to advance ocean conservation in Latin America and the Mediterranean, supporting the global 30×30 target. The U.S.$3.2 million grant over three years will help us strengthen key partnerships, provide training and analysis support to partner countries, and enhance our marine manager portal, co-founded with Dona Bertarelli.
In 2024, we also renewed generous support from the Adessium Foundation for our work in the Mediterranean, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to strengthen port controls in partner countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia using our technology and analysis.
In Latin America, we partnered with the Islas Secas Foundation, whose support allowed us to hire a country director in Panama. With in-country staff, we made significant progress with the Panama Aquatic Resources Authority, which committed to expanding its data sharing. This includes publicly sharing vessel data from its international licenses — such as fishing licenses, operational areas, and fishing support vessels — beyond the vessel monitoring system data that has been visible on our map since 2019.
We also received a subgrant from WattTime to support our work with the Environmental Markets Lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a model to estimate greenhouse gas emissions from all vessels at sea. For the first time, we have estimated emissions from the “dark fleet” — vessels that do not publicly broadcast their location or appear in public monitoring systems.
We want to extend our appreciation to our long-term major funder, Bloomberg Philanthropies, for their support for Phase II (2025-2026) of our four-year grant, which supports our global program, policy and communications efforts to advance better ocean governance through transparency and technology.
A full list of all our current donors can be found on our main financials page.
Financial Statements
Previous financial statements can be found on the main financials page of our website.
Global Fishing Watch, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Contributions made to Global Fishing Watch may be tax deductible.
Governance
Global Fishing Watch’s board of directors is responsible for guiding our mission, values and strategy, and for ensuring the financial integrity and effective resource management of the organization. Our board, comprising 11 unpaid members, appoints and supervises the chief executive officer, and approves major commitments based on advice from the senior executive team.
Board review
We have retained Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA) to conduct a board evaluation and needs assessment for Global Fishing Watch. This initiative aims to support the next stage of development for the organization, ensuring that the board is well-positioned to guide and support the organization’s leadership and strategy, growth and impact. The consultancy will also include the development of a recruitment approach for new board members. RRA’s review and recommendations will be delivered by April 2025.
Strengthening compliance policies and procedures
We are strengthening our policies and processes to embed a culture of risk management and compliance across the organization. As we grow, addressing this proactively will position us to better attract government and other large donor funding. We engaged Green Guava Consulting to develop a compliance management plan, which is being implemented by the newly formed compliance management committee, chaired by our CEO and convening monthly in 2025.
Monitoring, evaluation and learning
Achieving impact requires continual learning, adaptation and testing our assumptions against our theory of change and real-world outcomes. To support this, we partnered with IDinsight to develop an organization-wide monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework that allows us to map impact pathways, identify key assumptions, and define key learning questions. In 2025, we will roll out the MEL framework and an accompanying handbook to staff and hire our first global MEL manager to lead this important work.
Living our values
Global Fishing Watch is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the organization and the broader ocean community. In 2024, the DEI committee facilitated numerous in-person discussion groups, focusing on topics such as intercultural communication and work-life balance, and will continue to champion the inclusion of DEI as a key agenda item for future internal meetings. Now in its third year, our DEI committee works with senior leadership to drive key initiatives, including a review of staff benefits, cultural competence training, and a new staff well-being program that launched in January 2025. We also revised our onboarding and hiring processes as well as our policies around flexible and remote work.
Digging into data ethics
At Global Fishing Watch, we gather vast amounts of data on human activity at sea, spanning large-scale industrial operations to individual artisanal fishing vessels. Using artificial intelligence, we create automated models to extract insights from this data, which we openly share via our platform.
We are aware that inherent biases exist in the data we receive and our modeling processes can perpetuate or inadvertently introduce new bias. As an open platform, our data can be used in unforeseen ways, which may result in unintended outcomes. Therefore, ensuring its ethical application is a priority.
In 2024, we partnered with the Open Data Institute to begin embedding data ethics principles within Global Fishing Watch. We started building the foundation for a formal review process to ensure all data projects are developed ethically, with proactive mitigation of high ethical risks. Key achievements include:
- Publishing our Data Ethics Charter internally.
- Conducting a baseline assessment for the integration of data ethics across the organization.
- Integrating data ethics into our culture through online courses and a consequence scanning tool, introduced to technology and innovation teams for all major projects.
- Completing two case studies on our small-scale fisheries and forced labor projects, offering recommendations for incorporating data ethics reviews.
- Drafting data ethics principles to be approved in early 2025, shaping future data ethics processes.
In 2025, we aim to implement the organization’s first formal data ethics review process for all technology and innovation projects, documenting and refining it throughout the year.
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