Global Fishing Watch API
API v3General API Documentation

Key Concepts

API datasets, dataset versioning, and the GFW Vessel ID.

API DATASET

API dataset is a key parameter to identify which data you are requesting.

We recommend using the alias latest to make sure you include the latest improvements in our data. For example, public-global-fishing-events:latest. As Feb 25 2026, latest alias is linked to API datasets version 4.

Global Fishing Watch is harnessing innovative technology to turn transparent data into actionable information and drive tangible change in the way that our ocean is governed. Data accessed through the Global Fishing Watch APIs is as accurate as possible, but should be used with the data caveats described in each dataset in mind.

API Dataset for 4Wings APIDescription
public-global-fishing-effort:latestAIS apparent fishing effort from 2012 to 96 hours ago, check more detail about data caveats here. The filters that can be applied to this dataset include: flag, geartype and vessel_id. Example: flag in ('ESP').
public-global-sar-presence:latestSAR vessel detections which means industrial vessels between 2017 to 5 days ago that were detected with satellite imagery and classified with deep learning. For more detail check the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature. Check more detail about data caveats here. The filters that can be applied to this dataset include: matched, flag, vessel_id, geartype, neural_vessel_type and shiptype. Examples: matched='false' which means all SAR vessel detections that didn't match with an AIS vessel. or neural_vessel_type='Likely Fishing' which means all SAR vessel detections that the neural model that it only has in account the thumbnails of the sar images identify as Likely Fishing (this is useful to analyze detections that had no matching with AIS vessels) . The filter neural_vessel_type accepts as possible values: "Likely non-fishing", "Likely Fishing" or "Unknown"
public-global-presence:latestAIS vessel presence data showing when and where AIS-equipped vessels were located globally, from 2012 to approximately 96 hours ago. The data is generated by selecting one AIS position per hour per vessel and does not classify fishing activity. This dataset is useful for analyzing maritime activity across all vessel types. The filters that can be applied to this dataset include: flag, vessel_type, speed, and vessel_id. Examples: flag='CHN' to filter by vessels registered under China, vessel_type='Cargo', or speed < 2 to retrieve low-speed vessels. For more detail about data caveats, see here This dataset does not provide individual vessel tracks; for vessel-specific data, refer to the Vessels API.
API Dataset for Events APIDescription
public-global-encounters-events:latestAIS Encounters events between these vessel types: fishing-carrier,fishing-support, fishing-bunker, fishing-fishing, tanker-fishing, carrier-bunker and support-banker. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-loitering-events:latestAIS Loitering events for all vessel types. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-fishing-events:latestAIS apparent fishing events. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-port-visits-events:latestAIS port visits for all vessel types. Check more detail about data caveats here . This dataset points to public-global-port-visits-events:v3.1, see details below.
public-global-gaps-events:latestAIS intentional off events for all vessel types. This dataset is in prototype stage which means it is still under quality assurance processes and there may be inaccuracies, or issues within the data that have not been resolved yet. It may also not reflect the most recent or up-to-date information, and new data points or changes in the data may not be included. Check more detail about data caveats here
API Dataset for Vessels APIDescription
public-global-vessel-identity:latestAll vessel types based on AIS and public international, national and regional registries. Check more detail about data caveats here
API Dataset for Context Layers APIDescription
public-fixed-infrastructure-filtered:latestAPI dataset with all offshore infrastructure between 2017 to 3 months ago that were detected with satellite imagery and classified with deep learning. Refer to the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature for more details. Check more detail about data caveats here
API Dataset for Bulk Download APIDescription
public-fixed-infrastructure-data:latestAPI dataset with all offshore fixed infrastructure detections from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery, available from 2017 to approximately 3 months ago. This includes detections with confidence labels and minimal filtering (e.g., some noise, Chile/Canada/Norway regions included). Updated monthly. Access the Public Fixed Infrastructure Data Download Portal. Refer to the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature for more details. Check more detail about data caveats in the SAR Fixed Infrastructure Data Caveats section

API DATASETS SPECIFIC VERSIONS

When you are sending latest alias, you still get the detail of the specific API Dataset in the header of the response, for example:

  • If you send this API dataset public-global-fishing-effort:latest
  • In the response, in a custom header named x-datasets you will get public-global-fishing-effort:v4.0

In case you want to request a specific version of the API Dataset, this is the list of available versions:

4Wings APIDescription
public-global-fishing-effort:v4.0AIS apparent fishing effort generated using GFW (Global Fishing Watch) Data Pipeline version 4. Check data caveats here. Find version 4 release notes here.
public-global-fishing-effort:v3.0AIS apparent fishing effort generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 3. Check data caveats here The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here.
public-global-fishing-effort:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. AIS apparent fishing effort generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 20201001. The difference with the previous API dataset is that the fishing vessels are identified using a new logic which should be generally reflective of the previous fishing vessel list. More specifically, the restrictions on which fishing vessels to include in apparent fishing effort should be very close to the same. Check more detail about data caveats here.
public-global-sar-presence:v4.0SAR vessel detections which means industrial vessels between 2017 to 5 days ago that were detected with satellite imagery and classified with deep learning. We use SAR imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) . For more detail check the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature. . Review data caveats here. AIS vessel matching using data from Data Pipeline version 4, find version 4 release notes here.
public-global-sar-presence:v3.0SAR vessel detections which means industrial vessels between 2017 to 5 days ago that were detected with satellite imagery and classified with deep learning. We use SAR imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) . For more detail check the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature. . Review data caveats here. AIS vessel matching using data from Data Pipeline version 3 (more information about this new version can be found here.)
public-global-sar-presence:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. Same as public-global-sar-presence:v3.0 but using AIS vessel matching using data from Data Pipeline version 20201001.
public-global-presence:v4.0AIS vessel presence data available from 2012 to 96 hours ago, derived from AIS signals from Data Pipeline version 4. Find version 4 release notes here. Check data caveats here
public-global-presence:v3.0AIS vessel presence data available from 2012 to 96 hours ago, derived from AIS signals. The dataset includes some vessel types equipped with AIS transponders and captures one position per hour per vessel. Check data caveats here
Events APIDescription
public-global-encounters-events:v4.0AIS Encounters events generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 4. Find version 4 release notes here. For data caveats specific to encounter events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-encounters-events:v3.0AIS Encounters events generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 3. The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here. For data caveats specific to encounter events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-loitering-events:v4.0AIS Loitering events for all vessel types, generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 4. Find version 4 release notes here. For data caveats specific to loitering events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-loitering-events:v3.0AIS Loitering events for all vessel types, generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 3. The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here. For data caveats specific to loitering events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-fishing-events:v4.0AIS apparent fishing events generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 4. Find version 4 release notes here. For data caveats specific to fishing events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-fishing-events:v3.0AIS apparent fishing events generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 3. The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here. For data caveats specific to fishing events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-port-visits-events:v4AIS port visits generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 4 for all vessel types using the a v3.1 method, for more details and examples refer to this FAQ. For data caveats specific to port visits, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here. Find version 4 release notes here.
public-global-port-visits-events:v3.1AIS port visits generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 3 for all vessel types using the a new method, instead of the average location of the port events, it uses the intermediate anchorage location, the first Port Stop or Port Gap if a Port Stop does not exist, to provide a more precise location estimate of the actual port visit by the vessel. For more details and examples refer to this FAQ. For data caveats specific to port visits, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here.
public-global-port-visits-events:v3.0AIS port visits generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 3 for all vessel types. The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here. In this dataset, the location of a port visit is based on the average location of the port events that make up a port visit, see definition here. For data caveats specific to port visits, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here
public-global-gaps-events:v4.0 AIS off events using GFW Data Pipeline version 4 for all vessel types. Find version 4 release notes here. For data caveats specific to these events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here. This dataset is in prototype stage which means it is still under quality assurance processes and there may be inaccuracies, or issues within the data that have not been resolved yet. It may also not reflect the most recent or up-to-date information, and new data points or changes in the data may not be included.
public-global-gaps-events:v3.0 AIS off events using GFW Data Pipeline version 3 for all vessel types. The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here. For data caveats specific to these events, check here. For general data caveats on events, check here. This dataset is in prototype stage which means it is still under quality assurance processes and there may be inaccuracies, or issues within the data that have not been resolved yet. It may also not reflect the most recent or up-to-date information, and new data points or changes in the data may not be included.
public-global-encounters-events:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. AIS Encounters events generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 20201001 combining more vessel types: fishing-carrier,fishing-support, fishing-bunker, fishing-fishing, tanker-fishing, carrier-bunker and support-banker. The difference with the previous API dataset is that the carrier and fishing vessels are identified using a new logic which (1) makes the carrier list more restrictive given the requirements for matching AIS record (vessel_id) to a carrier vessel registry record is more precise and (2) makes the fishing list less restrictive given fishing vessel with potential offsetting and noisy data. Previously these fishing vessels with noise were filtered into the ‘other’ vessel type and excluded from this API dataset. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-loitering-events:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. AIS Loitering events for all vessel types. The difference with the previous API dataset is that you can get all vessel types loitering events now and if you filter by carrier vessels those are identified using a new logic which makes the carrier list more restrictive given the requirements for matching AIS record (vessel_id) to a carrier vessel registry record is more precise. This means there will be a fewer number of vessels identified as carriers. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-fishing-events:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. AIS apparent fishing events generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 20201001. The difference with the previous API dataset is that the fishing vessels are now identified using a new logic which is less restrictive. Fishing events are run for all vessels on any fishing vessel list (registry, inferred, AIS self reported) and known fishing vessels that were originally excluded from the fishing vessel list due to noise. They will now be identified as fishing and then events are included in this dataset. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-port-visits-c2-events:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. AIS port visits generated using GFW Data Pipeline version 20201001 for all vessel types. Check more detail about data caveats here
public-global-gaps-events:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. AIS off events for all vessel types. This dataset is in prototype stage which means it is still under quality assurance processes and there may be inaccuracies, or issues within the data that have not been resolved yet. It may also not reflect the most recent or up-to-date information, and new data points or changes in the data may not be included. Check more detail about data caveats here
Vessels APIDescription
public-global-vessel-identity:v4.0 API dataset with all vessel types including: support, carrier, bunker, fishing, discrepancy, cargo, passenger, seismic_vessel, gear and other using GFW Data Pipeline version 4. It combines information from GFW core AIS identity data with GFW registry database to enable an improved understanding of vessel identity over time. Find version 4 release notes here. For data caveats specific to vessel identity, check here.
public-global-vessel-identity:v3.0 API dataset with all vessel types including: support, carrier, bunker, fishing, discrepancy, cargo, passenger, seismic_vessel, gear and other using GFW Data Pipeline version 3. It combines information from GFW core AIS identity data with GFW registry database to enable an improved understanding of vessel identity over time. The differences and impact on the data with this new version can be found here. For data caveats specific to vessel identity, check here.
public-global-vessel-identity:v20231026Dataset DEPRECATED. API dataset with all vessel types including: support, carrier, bunker, fishing, discrepancy, cargo, passenger, seismic_vessel, gear and other using GFW Data Pipeline version 20201001. It combines information from GFW core AIS identity data with GFW registry database to enable an improved understanding of vessel identity over time. Check more detail about data caveats here
Context Layers APIDescription
public-fixed-infrastructure-filtered:v1.1API dataset with all offshore infrastructure between 2017 to 3 months ago that were detected with satellite imagery and classified with deep learning. Refer to the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature for more details. Check more detail about data caveats here
Bulk Download APIDescription
public-fixed-infrastructure-data:v1.0API dataset with all offshore infrastructure between 2017 to approximately 3 months ago, detected using Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and classified with deep learning. Includes unfiltered data (e.g., some noise and detections in Chile, Canada, and Norway). Access the Public Fixed Infrastructure Data Download Portal. Refer to the Paper Paolo et al. 2024, Nature for more details. Check more detail about data caveats in the SAR Fixed Infrastructure Data Caveats section

API DATASETS VERSIONING

  • In case a new API Dataset version is active and you are requesting an specific version, you will see a notification in the header response clarifying that there is a newest API Dataset version.

  • Old API datasets will remain available for a maximum of 3 months until they are deprecated. If you request an API dataset that is deprecated, you will receive a 422 error explaining that the dataset is deprecated and that you need to use the newest one.

VESSEL ID

A unique vessel identity developed for internal use by Global Fishing Watch and API users, that combines available vessel identifiers such as name, callsign, and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) in order to identify vessels that may not consistently transmit AIS, or the same identifiers on AIS, over time. This value will allow you to connect the different APIs. In Vessel API it is the field id inside the object selfReportedInfo.

Bulk Download API

Asynchronous bulk access to large data slices, starting with fixed infrastructure detections from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery.

Errors

GFW API status codes, error-response format, and example error payloads.

On this page

API DATASETAPI DATASETS SPECIFIC VERSIONSAPI DATASETS VERSIONINGVESSEL ID