Impacts

MUNRO and Kamchatka

Global Fishing Watch Assists U.S. Coast Guard Patrol in the Pacific

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 detect […]

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Fishing vessels in coastal Ecuador

Leadership in Fisheries Management Will Help Bring Transparency to Latin American Waters

Costa Rica and Ecuador will join the Global Fishing Watch platform, furthering accountability of fishing activity in the region A new era of transparency in fisheries management is emerging in Latin America. Since 2018, Peru, Chile, and Panama and more recently, Costa Rica and Ecuador, have begun to adapt the orthodox, and not always successful,

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A scoop is used to haul tons of tuna onto the deck of the purse seine fishing boat

Life Below Water: Ensuring Legal Seafood Starts with Supporting Fisheries Workers

Transparency of vessel information will protect fisheries observers and help create a culture of compliance Working as a fisheries observer is a challenging job. Days, possibly even weeks away from shore, long hours in a tough environment – there’s no question that the role is physically and mentally demanding.  But the difficulties don’t stop there.

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Palmyra Atoll

Study Uses Satellite Technology to Reveal How Fisheries Respond to Marine Protection

A team of scientists investigate benefits of large marine protected areas Standing at sea level, looking out at the ocean, you can only see about three miles (5 km) from shore. The largest marine protected areas (MPAs), which restrict fishing for conservation or fisheries benefits, span up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from shore.

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Celebrating 25 Years of Collaboration for Responsible Fisheries

Life Below Water: Celebrating 25 Years of Collaboration for Responsible Fisheries

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, management

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Chinese lighting vessels

International Cooperation Uncovers Large-Scale Illegal Fishing, Highlights Need for More Multinational Efforts

Experts from four countries joined forces to find out the real cause behind drastic decline in squid catch   A Global Fishing Watch-led study uncovers what is possibly the largest ever documented case of illegal fishing by vessels originating from one country operating in another nation’s waters, leading to significant ramifications. The story behind the research

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Illegal fishing by dark fleets in north korea

New Technology Unveils Massive Illegal Fishing by Dark Fleets in North Korea, What Next?

International collaboration and new technology shows unprecedented picture of fishing activity in North Korea, calls on nations to take action In the 30th issue of Science Advances Global Fishing Watch, along with 13 other co-authors, published a study revealing widespread illegal fishing in North Korean waters across 2017 and 2018. Hundreds of large, industrial vessels

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Iranian gillnet fishing vessel in Berbera harbour in 2015

Illegal Fishing Hotspot Identified in Northwest Indian Ocean

Nearly 200 Iranian vessels detected in Somali and Yemeni waters represent one of the world’s largest illegal fishing operations. Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT) have been working with partners in the Northwest Indian Ocean region, including the Somali government, to identify large-scale illegal fishing that is occurring inside the waters of

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Fisheries activity

Peruvian Fisheries Experience Massive Decline in Activity from COVID-19

One of world’s biggest fishing nations faces economic setbacks, turns to artisanal fleet for food security This is the second blog in a series on the effects of COVID-19 on global fishing activity. Read our initial analysis of changes in global fishing activity during the pandemic here. According to the Global Fishing Watch database, fishing

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Peter Thomson

Life Below Water: Transparency and Innovation will Help Build Ocean Resilience

Meaningful ocean action is needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14, says United Nations Ambassador Ambassador Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, addresses the importance of transparency and technology to achieve SDG-14. The world is at a standstill. Over the last few months, COVID-19 has challenged health systems, crippled economies,

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aerial vessel

Illuminating global fishing activity with satellite AIS

This article was produced and first published by our data partner, Spire Global. Transparency in a whole new light In February this year, a Vietnamese ship entered Indonesian waters, likely fished illegally, and then returned to port without consequence. By March, it was back at sea. There were no signs to indicate that the vessel

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fishing data

Track and trace: transparent and digitized fishing data is crucial to ocean resilience

Recovery from COVID-19 will require greater transparency in commercial fishing activity As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, its myriad negative consequences are slowly becoming clearer. While many of the impacts have been unmistakable, with entire countries locked down, some are playing out far away from our homes and shorelines, in the open ocean. 

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Life below water

Life Below Water: Prioritizing safe and decent working conditions for fishers and fisheries observers

Two months ago, the death of fisheries observer Eritara Aati Kaierua was reported in Pacific waters, leading to an ongoing murder investigation. For many people, the idea of a murder taking place on board a confined fishing vessel out at sea seems inconceivable, but for those that know the fisheries sector well, it is yet

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Subsistence fisher returning in Kiritimati Island.

Life Below Water: Ensuring sustainable consumption and production of seafood

Large scale, commercial fishing activity has often historically taken place out of sight – fishing grounds far from shore make them difficult and costly to monitor, jurisdiction considerations impede governance and a patchwork of regulations have not kept pace with advances in fishing technologies. As our global seafood consumption has increased, so has the impact

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