Joe
Fader
Strengthening Ocean Protection in CMAR: A Regional Effort to Boost Marine Surveillance and Enforcement
- Published
Fisheries analyst Joe Fader shares how Global Fishing Watch and partners are supporting intelligence-led enforcement across the Eastern Tropical Pacific
Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor—known as CMAR—is a critical biodiversity hotspot linking the protected waters of Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.
Since 2023, these four countries have been working together with experienced partners to implement a regional monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) initiative that can help to protect their unique environments. Coordinated by PACIFICO and supported by WildAid, OceanMind and the Joint Analytical Cell (JAC), the project is working to strengthen regional enforcement cooperation, expand access to maritime intelligence tools and empower marine protected area managers to better safeguard their waters.
We sat down with Joe Fader, Fisheries Analyst at Global Fishing Watch and key member of the JAC, to learn more about how this collaborative effort is helping CMAR countries shift from reactive monitoring to proactive, intelligence-led ocean governance.
What is the main goal of this MCS-focused project in the CMAR region?
The project is about strengthening national and regional capacity and collaboration around ocean surveillance. We’re helping CMAR countries (through their environmental, fisheries, port and maritime security authorities) work more closely together to protect their marine ecosystems—especially within their marine protected areas (MPAs)—by boosting capacity, sharing information and using data-driven tools. Ultimately, it’s about creating the conditions for long-term biodiversity conservation, while still supporting the fisheries that communities and economies depend on.
What kinds of challenges are these countries facing when it comes to enforcement?
There are a few big concerns that come to mind. First, there’s a major resource challenge—these are enormous spaces, most of them far from the nearest shoreline. It takes significant financial and technical resources to effectively protect them which is a challenge for any country. Traditionally, each agency operated within its own area of competence. However, with the creation of large pelagic MPAs, the need for interagency cooperation has become increasingly evident, ensuring that all authorities have access to the essential information they need to carry out their work effectively. We’re working to close those gaps by building tools and skills that can empower local teams to act in a coordinated, interagency way to effectively respond to suspicious activity.
What role is Global Fishing Watch playing in the project?
Global Fishing Watch is participating as a member of the JAC. Our primary role is to support the project with data and analysis, but we’re also heavily involved in training and mentorship. We’ve contributed technical expertise on key project deliverables, helped design and lead information sharing exchanges with the country partners, and provided intelligence support for specific apparent illegal fishing cases. In fact, the JAC team is on call to assist with up to 16 case investigations over the course of the project (seven have been supported so far) as well as regional patrols and on-the-water operations. It’s hands-on work that goes beyond just supplying data—we’re working side by side with partners to translate that data into action.
What technologies are you using to support surveillance and enforcement?
The core of our toolkit comes from the JAC’s open-source platforms— in particular the tools and datasets available through Global Fishing Watch, Skylight and C4ADS (Triton). These tools allow countries to monitor vessel activity in and around their MPAs, detect unusual behavior and generate intelligence reports. We also support the platforms’ integration with each country’s own vessel tracking systems. The idea is to build a more connected monitoring environment that empowers local teams to respond to potential illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing threats quickly and effectively.
How are you measuring success?
We’ve built in a strong monitoring and evaluation component to this project. For example, we’re tracking how many MPAs are being managed using our tools, how many potential violations are flagged and investigated and how collaboration is improving between agencies. Project partners periodically assess progress and make adjustments as needed. And we’ve created a “Mesa de Apoyo”—a support desk—where countries can submit requests for help in analyzing specific cases or with other technical support. That helps us stay aligned with what countries actually need, in real time.
What’s the long-term vision for this project?
It’s all about building lasting capacity and trust across borders. We want CMAR countries to have the tools, knowledge and collaboration they need to manage their marine resources effectively—on their own terms. That means institutionalizing training, developing standard operating procedures and building up regional coordination capacity that can carry this work forward. We’re not just trying to fix problems—we’re trying to build something that lasts for people, for biodiversity and for our oceans