Our Approach

Our ocean under threat

Covering over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is our planet’s life support system. It provides the air we breathe and the food we eat, regulates our climate, supports wildlife and sustains the fisheries that feed and employ people around the globe.

But the ocean is under threat. Warming waters and lawless and destructive fishing have caused a dangerous decline in biodiversity, bringing marine mammals, sharks and reef-forming corals close to extinction.

Our reckless exploitation of the ocean has resulted in a third of the world’s major commercial fish stocks being fished beyond safe limits, destroying ecosystems, harming coastal communities and undermining economies. A huge growth in shipping, offshore energy and other industrial activity is putting even greater stress on ocean life. And climate change is profoundly altering marine life, heating the ocean and depleting its oxygen.

What we do

To restore and protect the ocean, we need to see and understand everything that happens at sea. And we need to empower institutions and people to act on that knowledge. Global Fishing Watch is doing just that.

We believe open data and increased transparency hold the key to better ocean stewardship. Transparency means making information such as ocean and vessel data, and related policies and decision-making processes, available to everyone it affects.

By generating insights about what is happening at sea, we can equip policymakers and authorities with the information needed to inform their decision making. Responsible management of our ocean will lead to greater compliance and accountability across all maritime sectors and at all levels of activity.

How we do it

Global Fishing Watch creates, transforms and distributes data to increase the transparency of human activities in the global ocean. Applying this knowledge leads to greater accountability, improved governance, reduced ecological threats and an ocean that is healthy, productive and resilient.

Engage national governments

We work with countries to co-develop solutions and build capacity to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and strengthen marine protection. Engaging a range of stakeholders across government and regional bodies, we encourage the adoption of transparency as a principle in ocean governance and facilitate their sharing of ocean data. This will help these countries advance progressive ocean policy and become international advocates for transparency.

Promote transparency at international level

Our team of policy experts are working with U.N. agencies, regional fisheries management organizations and other international bodies to advance transparency and related policy action across multinational institutions. By showcasing successes at the national level, and through the partnerships with thought leaders and ocean champions, we seek to secure a landmark resolution in support of ocean transparency in a global intergovernmental forum and leverage this to strengthen international policy and law.

The power of partnerships

We are working with a range of local, regional and global groups to deepen our engagement with countries and amplify our potential for impact. Our network of partners is diverse and growing—and our work is always strategic, with tangible goals in mind, including:

Knowledge creation: Creating, liberating and sharing essential ocean data across a multitude of platforms, not just our own.
Policy advancement: Advocating for policies that are built upon and proliferate data sharing for more informed decision-making.
Operational support: Working with governments and authorities to use our open data and technology products effectively.
Communications: Building a common public narrative around the value of transparency and data sharing.
Engagement with supply chain stakeholders: Educating industry and commercial entities about the data and tools available to make informed decisions, mitigate risk and carry out due diligence.
Capacity Development: Providing training on the use of our tools, and co-developing or enhancing existing or future tools.
Leadership and political will: Fostering a cohort of transparency advocates from governments, academia, business, and other constituencies with influence at the highest levels.

Impact through collaboration

Joint Analytical Cell

The Joint Analytical Cell (JAC) seeks to enable State and non-State actors with access to data, technology and analytics at scale. Serving as a hub for fisheries intelligence, capacity development and operational support, the JAC harnesses innovative technologies and the complementary expertise of its members to combat illegal fishing across the globe.

Coalition for Fisheries Transparency

A community of international civil society organizations, the Coalition for Fisheries Transparency seeks to advance transparency and accountability in ocean governance. The coalition establishes key priorities for bringing forward transparency in the fisheries management to combat illegal fishing and prevent labor abuses at sea.

A pathway to better ocean governance

We create new knowledge by using cutting-edge technology to turn big data into actionable information.

We share information publicly, and for free, to accelerate science and drive fairer, smarter policies and practices that reward good behavior and protect biodiversity, fisheries and livelihoods.

We promote international cooperation and transparency around ocean data to enable a new era of ocean governance.