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Our Ocean Oslo 2019

2020 Hindsight: How a New Wave of Transparency Can Lead to Better Ocean Governance

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 […]

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Protecting Human Rights at Sea Starts with Access to Information

Protecting Human Rights at Sea Starts with Access to Information

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

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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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Ecuador harbor scene

Global Fishing Watch commends Ecuador’s decision to strengthen governance throughout its waters

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

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aerial vessel

New Study Claims Information Sharing is Key to Transparency in International Fisheries

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

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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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Satellite ss international space station

Technology collaboration aims to strengthen fisheries monitoring and control

New agreement will combine data and analysis from Global Fishing Watch and Vulcan Inc. to bolster fisheries transparency and enforcement Washington D.C. – Global Fishing Watch (GFW), an international nonprofit organization, has entered into a formal collaboration with Vulcan Inc., combining their vessel monitoring capabilities to enhance fisheries management and governmental efforts to combat illegal, unreported

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Transshipment Portal Shows Carrier Vessels Loitering in Waters off West Africa

Transshipment Portal Shows Carrier Vessels Loitering in Waters off West Africa

Tracking refrigerated cargo ships, commonly called reefers, can help address illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea Transshipment, or the transfer of fish from one vessel to another, is a vital part of the global commercial fishing industry. It touches a wide variety of seafood products, from bigeye and skipjack tuna all the way to

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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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Mediterranean Sea International Space Station Italy Europe Preview

Spotting Transshipment with an Ocean of AIS Data

Find out how Global Fishing Watch’s carrier vessel portal promotes ocean sustainability by tracking transshipment with the help of AIS data This article was produced and first published by our data partner, Spire Global. Global Fishing Watch created a new tool using Spire Global’s AIS data to shine a light on transshipment—a critical process of high seas

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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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Asiatic squid vessels

Follow the Lights: Squid Fishing in the Southeast Pacific Ocean

Satellite technology illuminates foreign and domestic vessels in search of one of Peru’s most valuable catches Nearly 400 industrial foreign squid vessels were engaged in fishing activities last month on the border of Peru’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Their interest? A jumbo squid fishery. This cephalopod fishery represents one of the world’s largest, and is

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Daily total landed fishing hours for japanese domestic vessels graphic

COVID-19 Harms Japanese Fisheries Despite Active Fleet

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 11.

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Officer crosschecks suspicious vessel behaviors identified in VMS data in the Marshall Islands

New Partnership Brings Added Opportunities to Fisheries Monitoring

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. And

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