Monica
Espinoza Miralles
Global Fishing Watch’s Monica Espinoza Miralles reveals how regional cooperation and technology are reshaping ocean governance in one of the world’s most biodiverse seas
Latin America has long been a global trendsetter for ocean protection. From its leadership on 30×30 to its vast marine corridors designed to protect migrating sharks, turtles and tuna, the region has helped spearhead a rethink of ocean governance. The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, a collaborative effort pioneered by Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama, remains one of the world’s boldest marine conservation experiments — a prime example of how regional cooperation can safeguard biodiversity-rich waters while also sustaining coastal communities and national economies.
The region has also positioned itself as a proving ground for how transparency and technology can transform ocean governance for the better. Over the past decade, countries as diverse as Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Peru have partnered with Global Fishing Watch to share their vessel tracking data on the organization’s platforms. These efforts have directly translated into improvements in both fisheries management and oversight of marine protected areas, all the while modeling a blueprint for greater ocean conservation.
According to Monica Espinoza Miralles, Global Fishing Watch’s head of Latin America, the lesson from the region is clear: lasting ocean protection requires the alignment of political resolve, innovation and open data.
“When paired with political will, transparency and technology can truly transform conservation targets from commitments on paper into living protections,” she said. “This helps safeguard biodiversity while also respecting sovereignty and supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities here in Latin America and around the world.”
We spoke to Miralles about how Latin America’s experience in merging institutional resolve with cutting-edge innovation offers a lesson to the world in how to achieve progress towards good ocean governance.
Latin America spans some of the world's most biodiverse and economically vital marine ecosystems. What makes the region particularly important — and vulnerable — when it comes to ocean governance?
Latin America stretches from the northern to the southern hemisphere, granting it unique oceanographic conditions and extraordinary ecological diversity. The region is home to some of the world’s true ocean treasures: the pelagic islands that run from the coasts of Mexico down to Chile, serving as migratory highways for iconic species like the scalloped hammerhead shark.
A striking example is the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), where the Galapagos Islands are influenced by five converging ocean currents that create unparalleled levels of marine productivity.
The region also harbors critical fishery resources: tunas thrive in tropical waters, while cooler zones support commercially important species such as anchoveta, cod, and squid. It is clear that effective ocean governance in Latin America must recognize one essential reality: fish and marine species do not recognize national borders. If they are mismanaged in one country, the impacts ripple across the ocean affecting neighbors, both near and far.
To make matters more complex, distant-water fleets travel across entire oceans, like the Pacific, to exploit these resources. Sustainable management is therefore not a choice but a necessity — to safeguard biodiversity and to protect vulnerable coastal communities whose food security and livelihoods depend directly on the ocean’s health.
Transparency is often positioned as a solution to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. What does transparency mean in practice in Latin America, and how are countries across the region using data to drive accountability at sea?
Transparency generates compliance: when people know information is public, they think twice before breaking the rules. In Latin America, the concept has been embraced at the national level and countries like Peru and Chile have even enshrined it in law. By leading the way, they showed that opening fisheries data is not only possible but adds real value, demonstrating to the world that their fleets operate responsibly. Their example has also encouraged other nations to follow suit.
In practice, transparency means bringing the unseen into the open. It involves publishing essential data on fishing activities — such as aggregated vessel GPS, authorization, identification and ownership — to create a connected, public picture of who is fishing where, when and under what permissions.
Today, countries including Peru, Chile, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Belize are sharing their Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data. Combined with satellite technology and machine learning, this enables precise mapping of vessel movements across regional waters, helping authorities monitor routes, detect suspicious behaviors such as transshipment at sea and enforce regulations more effectively.
Transparency, then, is not just a technical concept — it is a powerful tool for governance and trust, strengthening accountability, enhancing the reputation of fleets and safeguarding marine resources.
Global Fishing Watch works closely with governments across Latin America. Which partnerships or policy reforms stand out as examples of meaningful progress — and what lessons can others learn from them?
Our main partners are governments, as they hold the authority to mandate, manage and enforce the actions needed for the sustainable use and conservation of our ocean resources. Since 2017, Global Fishing Watch has built strong partnerships across Latin America, and through them we’ve seen major reforms driven by open data, analysis and technology.
At the regional level, one of the most compelling examples is the CMAR. Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador don’t necessarily share land borders, but they do share a connected maritime space that is often overlooked on maps. Recognizing the ecological connectivity of marine resources that don’t adhere to political boundaries, these four governments came together to design marine protected areas as a connected network. Our data has supported part of this process by informing designation and analyzing not only fishing activity but also other critical human uses such as maritime transport and tourism. It’s a proven model of collective management that illustrates the power of regional cooperation.
At the national level, a remarkable example of policy innovation comes from Chile. Just this month, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA) issued Resolution 2866, a protocol for citizen surveillance of marine protected areas in the Juan Fernandez Islands. The resolution explicitly authorizes citizens to use Global Fishing Watch to monitor vessel activity inside MPAs and sets out procedures for filing complaints with regional offices, which are required to follow up. This is groundbreaking because it formally integrates transparency tools into Chile’s enforcement framework, extending the reach of government oversight while empowering communities to actively protect their waters.
The lesson from both experiences is clear: open data and transparency foster shared responsibility. Whether at the regional scale through CMAR, or at the local level in Chile, partnerships that combine government leadership, citizen engagement, and technology can deliver meaningful progress for ocean governance.
As momentum builds toward achieving global targets like 30x30, what are the biggest challenges and opportunities for Latin American nations in leveraging digital tools to balance conservation, sovereignty and food security?
Several Latin American nations have already reached the 30×30 target, which is a major milestone. But the real challenge lies in turning designations into effective protections. A clear example is the CMAR. Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama have all designated, or are in the process of designating, at least 30 percent of their waters for protection. Yet, monitoring such vast areas and ensuring they don’t become protected areas in name only remains a daunting task for marine authorities and government agencies.
These challenges stem from limited resources, capacity constraints and restricted access to the kinds of satellite monitoring and artificial intelligence technologies that are critical to safeguarding marine protected areas and deterring illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
At the same time, digital tools present a powerful opportunity. By leveraging satellite-based datasets like VMS and automatic identification systems (AIS), combined with machine learning, governments can see human activity at sea in near real time. Global Fishing Watch has been working to bridge capacity gaps by providing open-access monitoring platforms and training government officials, researchers, and civil society in how to use these tools. This empowers countries not only to enforce protections, but also to build confidence that conservation and food security can go hand in hand.
With COP30 approaching, are you seeing signs that Brazil wants to improve ocean protections? Do you think COP could be the catalyst to encourage the government to do more?
There is indeed a big spotlight on Brazil as the host of COP30, and that includes attention to its vast and diverse marine territory. We’ve already seen important signs of momentum. Earlier this year, President Lula announced during his speech at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference, that Brazil will expand its marine protected areas from 26 percent to 30 percent. This is a clear signal of political will and a recognition of the role Brazil can play as a global ocean leader.
International meetings like COP30 always provide a powerful stage to promote and formalize such commitments. They create a sense of accountability, because announcements made on the world stage are harder to walk back. They also open space for governments to engage with civil society, science, and international partners in shaping ambitious solutions.
So yes, I do think COP30 could serve as a catalyst for Brazil to accelerate action — turning high-level pledges into concrete measures for effective ocean protection. Brazil has the opportunity to showcase that climate and ocean agendas are inseparable and that advancing one strengthens the other.