Improvements to our fishing effort data and vessel classification can help promote transparency of human activity on the world’s oceans In 2018, Global Fishing Watch released its first public fishing effort data that included almost 142 million hours of fishing from over 73,000 unique maritime mobile service identity (MMSI) numbers. The dataset, spanning 2012-2016, represented …
New Fishing Data Paves the Way for Improved Analysis Read More »
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 our …
COVID-19 Brings Unmatched Downturn in Global Fishing Activity Read More »
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 accounts …
Latin America Highlights Transparency as Essential in Tackling Illegal Fishing Read More »
Oceana calls on U.S. government to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the US seafood supply chain The largest ocean-focused advocacy group, Oceana, released results from a new poll revealing that 83 percent of Americans agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate, and 77 percent support …
New poll reveals demand for seafood traceability and public vessel tracking Read More »
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 2017-19 …
A 2020 Analysis: Detecting the Dark Fleets in North Korea and Russia Read More »
On February 29, 2016, Argentinian authorities approached the HUA LI 8, a squid jigger flagged to China that had been observed fishing illegally within Argentina’s waters.
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 high …
New Study Unveils Risk of Forced Labor in Fisheries Read More »
Groundbreaking model uses remote sensing data, machine learning, and human rights expertise to shed light on slavery at sea Washington, D.C. – Vessels known to have crew that are subject to forced labor behave in systematically different ways to the rest of the global fishing fleet, reveals a new paper published today in the scientific …
Satellites can reveal risk of forced labor in the world’s fishing fleet Read More »
Partnership and collective understanding will set the course for Global Fishing Watch’s work ahead And so ends another year—a year that many are perhaps eager to close out. I think it’s fair to say that none of us imagined 2020 would have panned out like this. Twelve months ago we were all preparing for a …
2020 Hindsight: How a New Wave of Transparency Can Lead to Better Ocean Governance Read More »
New collaboration between Global Fishing Watch and Human Rights at Sea aims to ensure policy and satellite technology solutions are aligned and information is available to all stakeholders The International Labour Organization of the United Nations estimates that 16 million people were in forced labor in the private economy in 2016, with 11 percent across …
Protecting Human Rights at Sea Starts with Access to Information Read More »
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 …
Global Fishing Watch Assists U.S. Coast Guard Patrol in the Pacific Read More »
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, …
Leadership in Fisheries Management Will Help Bring Transparency to Latin American Waters Read More »
Momentum gains as more countries take action to promote fisheries transparency Guayaquil, Ecuador – Ecuador has taken bold action to bolster ocean governance by joining the Global Fishing Watch platform, facilitating enhanced monitoring of the 1,200 vessels that make up Ecuador’s industrial and small-scale fishing fleets. This momentous decision will help increase accountability for vessels …
Pacific case study suggests greater transparency will improve legitimacy and sustainability of tuna fisheries Transshipment, the transfer of catch from fishing vessels to refrigerated cargo vessels (often called ‘reefers’ or ‘carriers’) is an important part of many seafood supply chains. But when transshipment occurs at sea, loopholes in governance and gaps in monitoring can obscure …
New Study Claims Information Sharing is Key to Transparency in International Fisheries Read More »
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. …
Life Below Water: Ensuring Legal Seafood Starts with Supporting Fisheries Workers Read More »
