A new study published by the scientific journal Nature is the first to quantify the potential release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the ocean from trawling and finds that trawling is pumping hundreds of millions of tons of CO2 into the ocean every year. Juan Mayorga, marine scientist and study coauthor, talks about the [...]
Global Fishing Watch’s updated fishing data offers new insight into the presence and behavior of the global fishing fleet In 2018, we published the first-ever global assessment of commercial fishing activity in Science. We tracked over 60,000 fishing vessels between 2012 and 2016, and estimated that fishing occurred on more than half of the [...]
One year into the pandemic that triggered turmoil around the world, an analysis of Global Fishing Watch data sheds light on shifts in global fishing activity As the world marks the March 11th anniversary of the World Health Organization’s declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fishing sector—like many industries—continues to feel the effects. With [...]
Countries embrace transparency-based strategy to promote fair and effective ocean governance The 34th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Committee on Fisheries (COFI 34) was held virtually last week. Front and center of the agenda was the need to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a practice which [...]
Satellite technology reveals decline in illegal fishing activity in North Korean and Russian waters compared to previous years In July 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across the globe, Global Fishing Watch published a groundbreaking scientific paper revealing one of the largest known cases of illegal fishing. The foreign fishing activity detected across [...]
Researchers leverage satellite data, machine learning, and human rights expertise to develop model that determines risk of forced labor on fishing vessels In 2016 our research group at the Environmental Market Solutions Lab (emLab) was collaborating with a team of fisheries scientists and economists to better understand the economic rationale behind fishing on the [...]
International collaboration and information sharing are key to detecting suspicious vessels and achieving well-managed fisheries. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter DOUGLAS MUNRO recently completed a nearly two-month patrol, traveling 12,500 miles (20,117 km) throughout the ocean in support of Operation North Pacific Guard, an annual high seas fisheries law enforcement operation designed to [...]
A new collaboration aims to make management at sea more cost-effective using cutting-edge technology Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing affects the sustainability of fisheries worldwide. In Mexico, illegal fishing accounts for up to an estimated 56 percent of national seafood production, according to estimates by the Environmental Defense Fund. Such a significant level [...]
Innovative use of data and technology can support the implementation of historic, flagship policies October 2020 brings the 25th anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Code aims to “strengthen international legal frameworks for more effective conservation, [...]
Satellite technology illuminates foreign and domestic vessels in search of one of Peru’s most valuable catches Asiatic squid vessels are constructed from marine steel, usually weigh between 800-1000 gross tons, and are outfitted with automated jiggers that use up to 150 incandescent lamps to attract squid to the surface. Credit: Simon Ager [...]
A second wave of the coronavirus could exacerbate future fisheries damages Global fishing activity has been in decline since the COVID-19 pandemic began. From the start of 2020 fishing activity has decreased by approximately 6.6 percent, and it has dropped nearly 7.9 percent since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March [...]
Global Fishing Watch becomes observer to International Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance Network It has been a busy summer for us at Global Fishing Watch. While travel may have been suspended and the majority of fisheries and ocean-related meetings were either canceled or postponed - some held virtually - the work has not slowed down. [...]
Ocean stewardship begins with sharing information, requires courage and leadership https://youtu.be/ix-3dFvgmKA Martin Exel, managing director of Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS), speaks on the importance of the seafood industry's role in promoting transparency and sustainability. Information sharing has the ability to transform fisheries governance. Through increased transparency and cutting-edge technology and analysis, [...]
Experts from four countries joined forces to find out the real cause behind drastic decline in squid catch Jaeyoon Park, senior data scientist and study co-lead, Global Fishing Watch A Global Fishing Watch-led study uncovers what is possibly the largest ever documented case of illegal fishing by vessels originating from one country [...]
