Peru and Global Fishing Watch sign scientific partnership to strengthen marine research and transparency
- Published
The new agreement aims to advance fisheries science and vessel monitoring through shared data and collaborative research
Global Fishing Watch and the Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE) have signed a scientific cooperation agreement to boost marine research, strengthen vessel monitoring and promote the sustainable management of ocean resources.
The partnership with IMARPE — Peru’s leading marine research institution — aims to enhance the country’s capacity to monitor human activity at sea, generate technical and scientific knowledge to guide sustainable fisheries management and support evidence-based decision making.
“This partnership marks another step in Peru’s commitment to transparency and sustainable ocean stewardship,” said Josefina del Prado, Peru country officer at Global Fishing Watch. “Working alongside IMARPE, we aim to deepen our understanding of fishing dynamics and introduce innovative tools to support science and public policy.”
The partnership sets a formal framework for collaborative research, knowledge exchange and the development of methodologies to analyze vessel tracking data— such as the automatic identification system (AIS) and vessel monitoring system (VMS)—with the goal of integrating them into national fisheries surveillance strategies. The agreement also includes training sessions, joint studies and co-authored scientific publications intended to strengthen national capacities in ocean monitoring and fisheries governance.
Peru’s marine ecosystem, one of the most productive in the world, faces challenges from overfishing, climate change and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Through this partnership, IMARPE and Global Fishing Watch will join forces to tackle these issues and promote the sustainable use of marine resources.
“This agreement opens new opportunities. Working together on technological training and incorporating the data collected by our Fishing Logbook observers will be mutually beneficial and have multiple positive impacts, like supporting the refining of Global Fishing Watch’s algorithms,” said Luis Escudero, coordinator of IMARPE’s Remote Sensing Area.
Peru has already shown leadership in marine transparency. In 2018, it became the first Latin American country to publicly share VMS data from its industrial fishing fleet via the Global Fishing Watch map — a landmark move that bolstered regional efforts to promote accountability in the sector.
As the nation’s principal body for marine science, IMARPE plays a critical role in ensuring the sustainable use of ocean resources through evidence-based research. By combining its local expertise with Global Fishing Watch’s open data platform and technological capabilities, the partnership is poised to support Peru’s broader goals in marine conservation.
