Global Fishing Watch API

Quick Start

Register, create an API access token, and make your first Global Fishing Watch API request in four steps.

  1. Register for a Global Fishing Watch account.

  2. Create an API Access Token

  3. Agree to the terms of use and attribute Global Fishing Watch in anything you publish.

  4. Submit HTTP request - Search a fishing vessel and get the fishing events

SEARCH A FISHING VESSEL

curl --location -g --request GET 'https://gateway.api.globalfishingwatch.org/v3/vessels/search?query=7831410&datasets[0]=public-global-vessel-identity:latest' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer [TOKEN]"

Make sure to replace [TOKEN] with your API Access Token. If the request is successful, the response includes the vessels matching your query.

{
  "limit": 20,
  "since": null,
  "total": 1,
  "entries": [
    {
      "dataset": "public-global-vessel-identity:v20231026",
      "registryInfoTotalRecords": 1,
      "registryInfo": [
        {
          "id": "72f191cf1cb981cefc7733d32abba37e",
          "recordId": "IMO-7831410",
          "sourceCode": ["IMO"],
          "ssvid": "701000948",
          "flag": "ARG",
          "shipname": "CLAUDINA",
          "nShipname": "CLAUDINA",
          "callsign": "LW3058",
          "imo": "7831410",
          "latestVesselInfo": true,
          "transmissionDateFrom": "2013-01-01T07:26:04Z",
          "transmissionDateTo": "2023-04-13T14:15:39Z",
          "geartype": ["FISHING"],
          "lengthM": 53.6,
          "tonnageGt": 369,
          "vesselInfoReference": "ce19d2b7-e5a6-43bf-b439-4070f10fe74e"
        }
      ],
      "registryOwners": [
        {
          "name": "DESEADO PESQUERA",
          "flag": "ARG",
          "ssvid": "701000948",
          "sourceCode": ["IMO"],
          "dateFrom": "2013-01-01T07:26:04Z",
          "dateTo": "2023-04-13T14:15:39Z"
        }
      ],
      "registryAuthorizations": [],
      "combinedSourcesInfo": [
        {
          "vesselId": "e9efd1586-61cf-74a8-757d-e8b4c0664c20",
          "geartypes": [
            {
              "name": "SQUID_JIGGER",
              "source": "COMBINATION_OF_REGISTRY_AND_AIS_INFERRED_NN_INFO",
              "yearFrom": 2013,
              "yearTo": 2016
            },
            {
              "name": "OTHER",
              "source": "COMBINATION_OF_REGISTRY_AND_AIS_INFERRED_NN_INFO",
              "yearFrom": 2012,
              "yearTo": 2012
            }
          ],
          "shiptypes": [
            {
              "name": "FISHING",
              "source": "COMBINATION_OF_REGISTRY_AND_AIS_INFERRED_NN_INFO",
              "yearFrom": 2013,
              "yearTo": 2016
            },
            {
              "name": "OTHER",
              "source": "COMBINATION_OF_REGISTRY_AND_AIS_INFERRED_NN_INFO",
              "yearFrom": 2012,
              "yearTo": 2012
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "vesselId": "9b3e9019d-d67f-005a-9593-b66b997559e5",
          "geartypes": [
            {
              "name": "SQUID_JIGGER",
              "source": "COMBINATION_OF_REGISTRY_AND_AIS_INFERRED_NN_INFO",
              "yearFrom": 2016,
              "yearTo": 2023
            }
          ],
          "shiptypes": [
            {
              "name": "FISHING",
              "source": "COMBINATION_OF_REGISTRY_AND_AIS_INFERRED_NN_INFO",
              "yearFrom": 2016,
              "yearTo": 2023
            }
          ]
        }
      ],
      "selfReportedInfo": [
        {
          "id": "9b3e9019d-d67f-005a-9593-b66b997559e5",
          "ssvid": "701000948",
          "shipname": "CLAUDINA",
          "nShipname": "CLAUDINA",
          "flag": "ARG",
          "callsign": "LW3058",
          "imo": "7831410",
          "messagesCounter": 616714906,
          "positionsCounter": 1914662,
          "sourceCode": ["AIS"],
          "matchFields": "SEVERAL_FIELDS",
          "transmissionDateFrom": "2016-12-20T20:27:39Z",
          "transmissionDateTo": "2023-04-13T18:19:16Z"
        },
        {
          "id": "e9efd1586-61cf-74a8-757d-e8b4c0664c20",
          "ssvid": "701000948",
          "shipname": "CLAUDINA",
          "nShipname": "CLAUDINA",
          "flag": "ARG",
          "callsign": "LW3058",
          "imo": "0",
          "messagesCounter": 8313445,
          "positionsCounter": 73907,
          "sourceCode": ["AIS"],
          "matchFields": "SEVERAL_FIELDS",
          "transmissionDateFrom": "2012-01-01T04:38:08Z",
          "transmissionDateTo": "2016-09-15T15:07:46Z"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "query": "7831410",
    "normalizedQuery": "7831410",
    "didYouMean": {
      "shipname": {}
    }
  }
}

GET FISHING EVENTS

curl --location -g --request GET 'https://gateway.api.globalfishingwatch.org/v3/events?vessels[0]=9b3e9019d-d67f-005a-9593-b66b997559e5&datasets[0]=public-global-fishing-events:latest&start-date=2017-03-01&end-date=2017-03-31&limit=1&offset=0' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer [TOKEN]"

Make sure to replace [TOKEN] with your API Access Token. If the request is successful, the response includes the fishing events from the vessel id found in the previous request.

{
  "metadata": {
    "datasets": ["public-global-fishing-events:v20231026"],
    "vessels": ["9b3e9019d-d67f-005a-9593-b66b997559e5"],
    "dateRange": {
      "from": "2017-03-01",
      "to": "2017-03-31"
    }
  },
  "limit": 1,
  "offset": 0,
  "nextOffset": 1,
  "total": 160,
  "entries": [
    {
      "start": "2017-02-28T23:09:29.000Z",
      "end": "2017-03-01T04:25:22.000Z",
      "id": "49c5ab5a5ba4139b15ca9c039b0ea4f7",
      "type": "fishing",
      "position": {
        "lat": -47.1439,
        "lon": -62.7624
      },
      "regions": {
        "mpa": [],
        "eez": ["8466"],
        "rfmo": ["ACAP", "ICCAT", "IWC", "CCSBT"],
        "fao": ["41", "41.3.1", "41.3"],
        "majorFao": ["41"],
        "eez12Nm": [],
        "highSeas": [],
        "mpaNoTakePartial": [],
        "mpaNoTake": []
      },
      "boundingBox": [-62.752836666700006, -47.16, -62.768585, -47.1277183333],
      "distances": {
        "startDistanceFromShoreKm": 226,
        "endDistanceFromShoreKm": 225,
        "startDistanceFromPortKm": 241.536047,
        "endDistanceFromPortKm": 241.137141
      },
      "vessel": {
        "id": "9b3e9019d-d67f-005a-9593-b66b997559e5",
        "name": "CLAUDINA",
        "ssvid": "701000948"
      },
      "fishing": {
        "totalDistanceKm": 3.9377160441499495,
        "averageSpeedKnots": 0.9047619104333333,
        "averageDurationHours": 0.263236111111111,
        "potentialRisk": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Search a fishing vessel by IMO = 7831410 using Vessel API

Get one fishing event from the fishing vessel searched in the previous request (first id in the selfReportedInfo object) and filter by Start Date=2017-03-01 and End Date=2017-03-31 using Events API

Authentication

Create an API access token, authenticate your requests, and troubleshoot 401/403 errors.