2025 March – Global Fishing Watch Data Download Portal – Version 3 of the downloadable public apparent fishing effort dataset

Anyone can now:

Download our public and static apparent fishing effort dataset. This new dataset covers 2012-2024, adding four full years of data with nearly 370 million hours of fishing activity by over 141,000 unique Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) numbers that are broadcast in AIS messages. Collectively, the full dataset now includes approximately 695 million fishing hours by more than 192,000 unique MMSI.
Unlock faster processing. We’ve launched new Monthly 10th degree files based on the feedback received. We’ve grouped data monthly to simplify the processing of the files.
Understand the difference between this dataset and the data in the Global Fishing Watch map and APIs. Users of our map and APIs can access near real-time vessel activity data to support in-depth analysis, subject to an approximate three day processing delay via an automated pipeline. This static data release has undergone extensive cleaning and manual review, providing a fixed, quality-assured dataset through December 2024. Visit this FAQ for full details.

Learn more about what updates may be seen in the latest release of this dataset from our team here.

Find additional supporting information on our website and share feedback through our public Canny board. Email [email protected] for support.

Release – Tuesday 11 March