In Conversation with
Courtney Farthing
Tracking the Invisible Fleets: The Global Push to Bring Industrial Fishing Out of the Shadows
- Published
With 75 percent of industrial vessels evading public monitoring, Global Fishing Watch’s policy team is driving efforts for binding vessel tracking rules — and a new era of accountability at sea.
The ocean plays a central role in feeding the planet and powering the global economy. According to estimates, more than 3 billion people rely on wild-caught seafood for 20 percent of their protein. And yet, industrial fishing remains one of the most opaque sectors in global commerce. A tangle of outdated rules, fragmented oversight and weak enforcement has left vast stretches of the ocean shrouded in shadow, open to exploitation and at the mercy of a global regulatory vacuum. It’s a riddle that Courtney Farthing, director of international policy at Global Fishing Watch, is hoping to crack.
Indeed, since a 2024 study by Global Fishing Watch estimated that nearly three-quarters of industrial fishing vessels are invisible to public monitoring systems, the international non-profit has been accelerating its push to bring transparency and accountability to the ocean, in part through the establishment of a binding global requirement for vessels to carry or share tracking data. It’s an effort, says Farthing, that remains key to transforming global ocean governance into a more equitable system for all.
“The absence of a global mandate requiring vessels to carry or share tracking data means many operators slip through the cracks,” she explains. “In this climate, vessels are free to turn off their tracking systems or avoid detection entirely while coastal and port States, who are often under-resourced, struggle to keep pace. This needs to stop.”
As world leaders prepare to gather in Busan, Republic of Korea, for the 10th Our Ocean Conference, vessel tracking and transparency are once again taking center stage in the push for smarter, stronger and fairer ocean governance. We sat down with Courtney Farthing to explore how Global Fishing Watch is advancing policy solutions at the Our Ocean Conference, why tracking data matters, and how technology is reshaping the future of global fisheries.
Transparency and vessel tracking are two key issues taking center stage at this year’s Our Ocean Conference in Busan, Republic of Korea. Tell us why these are such important issues for ocean governance and why Global Fishing Watch is striving for a binding vessel tracking agreement?
The shocking truth is that we know very little about the scale of human activity taking place across the ocean. This is especially true when it comes to fishing on the high seas. In fact, just last year Global Fishing Watch estimated that about 75 percent of industrial fishing vessels do not appear in public monitoring systems.
This problem is further fueled by an imperfect regulatory system that allows vessels to exploit the informational void out on the ocean. To this day, there is no global binding requirement for a fishing vessel to have a tracking system, or for existing tracking system data to be published. Instead, what is left is a patchwork system made up of different rules based either on geography, a vessel’s flag State or its target fisheries. Unscrupulous operators thrive in this confusion, avoiding detection either by alternating between tracking systems or switching them off altogether. In this manner, they take advantage of well-meaning, under-resourced authorities that are not up to date on every version of the latest rules set by regional bodies and flag States.
Vessel tracking flips the script: instead of placing the burden on under-resourced authorities to uncover a vessel’s activity, it puts the onus on vessel operators to prove they are in compliance—shifting power toward accountability and enabling more effective enforcement with fewer resources. As a firm advocate for vessel tracking, Global Fishing Watch is supporting key countries in advocating for a new international instrument on vessel tracking that considers the needs of authorities in this regard.
What are the biggest challenges Global Fishing Watch and other vessel tracking advocates face in getting nations to adopt mandatory vessel tracking policies? And how are Global Fishing Watch and its allies working to address these challenges in order to improve transparency in global fisheries?
One of the biggest challenges in advancing transparency in fisheries is shifting the deeply ingrained culture of secrecy. The fishing industry has operated under this culture for decades due to intense competition and a longstanding reluctance to share information, such as fishing locations, for fear of losing hard-won advantages. While this mindset once made sense in an era of limited oversight, it has become increasingly outdated.
Today, the majority of vessels that operate legally already use public or shared tracking systems, often for basic safety reasons. And with advances in satellite technology and data analysis, the notion of undiscovered fishing grounds in the industrial sector is largely obsolete. Yet old habits die hard. Many fisheries officials have spent their careers navigating a system built on opacity, making it difficult to shift attitudes and fully embrace transparency. Global Fishing Watch is working to change that, partnering with authorities to co-develop strategies that leverage vessel tracking and identity data to support enforcement and strengthen governance. At a broader level, we are advocating for regional and global reforms, including at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to address systemic issues. One critical shared challenge is the need for a global public vessel tracking requirement, which would help flag States with vessel registration, coastal States with licensing and port States with enforcement controls.
How can governments better incorporate the data provided by Global Fishing Watch into their fisheries management policies to ensure sustainable fishing practices and compliance with international regulations?
Governments have the opportunity to strengthen their fisheries management by reviewing their policies—from legislation to operational procedures—to ensure they have the necessary governance framework to collect, maintain, publish and utilize critical fisheries data. This includes tracking, identity and ownership information. At the same time, they can establish data protection and privacy rules that safeguard individual rights while allowing transparency on vessel and ownership data to support effective oversight. Global Fishing Watch is ready to assist governments in this effort, helping them harness transparency to improve fisheries governance.
How does Global Fishing Watch balance the need for open-access tools with the differing capacities of developing nations to utilize such technology for effective fisheries management?
Global Fishing Watch is working to bridge the gap between innovation and implementation by introducing cutting-edge technologies and tailoring their application to the unique needs of our partners. Our approach begins with understanding each country’s capacity—what exists, what’s lacking and what’s possible. While many governments have the infrastructure to run costly vessel monitoring systems (VMS), the ongoing expenses make this unaffordable for some. Meanwhile, more accessible tools, such as the automatic identification system (AIS), are proving remarkably effective when paired with vessel identity and authorization data in building an initial picture of activity which can be further interrogated by authorities. In fact, even the most basic analysis of public tracking data—freely available through Global Fishing Watch’s open-source platforms—can be transformative, especially for resource-strapped authorities.
But lasting change requires more than just technology. That’s why Global Fishing Watch is calling for a global framework that mandates public vessel tracking and is supported by targeted training and technical assistance, much like other instruments in the sector, such as the FAO’s Agreement on Port State Measures. A universal, low-cost public vessel tracking requirement would create a level playing field, ensuring that all nations, regardless of their capacity challenges, can participate in and benefit from transparent fisheries management.
