fishing

Illegal fishing by dark fleets in north korea

A 2020 Analysis: Detecting the Dark Fleets in North Korea and Russia

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Satellite technology reveals decline in illegal fishing activity in North Korean and Russian waters compared to previous years In July 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across the globe, Global Fishing Watch published a groundbreaking scientific paper revealing one of the largest known cases of illegal fishing. The foreign fishing activity detected across 2017-19 in the Democratic

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Tuna transshipment in the Indian Ocean

New Study Unveils Risk of Forced Labor in Fisheries

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Researchers leverage satellite data, machine learning, and human rights expertise to develop model that determines risk of forced labor on fishing vessels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5gWgYoR_rU&ab_channel=GlobalFishingWatch In 2016 our research group at the Environmental Market Solutions Lab (emLab) was collaborating with a team of fisheries scientists and economists to better understand the economic rationale behind fishing on the high seas.

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Our Ocean Oslo 2019

2020 Hindsight: How a New Wave of Transparency Can Lead to Better Ocean Governance

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Partnership and collective understanding will set the course for Global Fishing Watch’s work ahead And so ends another year—a year that many are perhaps eager to close out. I think it’s fair to say that none of us imagined 2020 would have panned out like this. Twelve months ago we were all preparing for a

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Protecting Human Rights at Sea Starts with Access to Information

Protecting Human Rights at Sea Starts with Access to Information

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Credit: Jean Jacques Schwenzfeier New collaboration between Global Fishing Watch and Human Rights at Sea aims to ensure policy and satellite technology solutions are aligned and information is available to all stakeholders The International Labour Organization of the United Nations estimates that 16 million people were in forced labor in the private economy in 2016, with 11 percent

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MUNRO and Kamchatka

Global Fishing Watch Assists U.S. Coast Guard Patrol in the Pacific

Fisheries, Impacts, News & Views, Research and analysis / By

International collaboration and information sharing are key to detecting suspicious vessels and achieving well-managed fisheries. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter DOUGLAS MUNRO recently completed a nearly two-month patrol, traveling 12,500 miles (20,117 km) throughout the ocean in support of Operation North Pacific Guard, an annual high seas fisheries law enforcement operation designed to detect

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Fishing vessels in coastal Ecuador

Leadership in Fisheries Management Will Help Bring Transparency to Latin American Waters

Impacts, News & Views, Policy & Compliance, Transparency / By

Costa Rica and Ecuador will join the Global Fishing Watch platform, furthering accountability of fishing activity in the region A new era of transparency in fisheries management is emerging in Latin America. Since 2018, Peru, Chile, and Panama and more recently, Costa Rica and Ecuador, have begun to adapt the orthodox, and not always successful,

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Ecuador harbor scene

Global Fishing Watch commends Ecuador’s decision to strengthen governance throughout its waters

Press Release / By

Momentum gains as more countries take action to promote fisheries transparency Guayaquil, Ecuador – Ecuador has taken bold action to bolster ocean governance by joining the Global Fishing Watch platform, facilitating enhanced monitoring of the 1,200 vessels that make up Ecuador’s industrial and small-scale fishing fleets. This momentous decision will help increase accountability for vessels

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Forecast Illegal Fishing Risk in Mexico

Predictive Analytics to Forecast Illegal Fishing Risk in Mexico

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A new collaboration aims to make management at sea more cost-effective using cutting-edge technology Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing affects the sustainability of fisheries worldwide. In Mexico, illegal fishing accounts for up to an estimated 56 percent of national seafood production, according to estimates by the Environmental Defense Fund. Such a significant level of IUU

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aerial vessel

New Study Claims Information Sharing is Key to Transparency in International Fisheries

News & Views, Research and analysis / By

Pacific case study suggests greater transparency will improve legitimacy and sustainability of tuna fisheries  Transshipment, the transfer of catch from fishing vessels to refrigerated cargo vessels (often called ‘reefers’ or ‘carriers’)  is an important part of many seafood supply chains. But when transshipment occurs at sea, loopholes in governance and gaps in monitoring can obscure

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Satellite ss international space station

Technology collaboration aims to strengthen fisheries monitoring and control

Press Release / By

New agreement will combine data and analysis from Global Fishing Watch and Vulcan Inc. to bolster fisheries transparency and enforcement Washington D.C. – Global Fishing Watch (GFW), an international nonprofit organization, has entered into a formal collaboration with Vulcan Inc., combining their vessel monitoring capabilities to enhance fisheries management and governmental efforts to combat illegal, unreported

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Transshipment Portal Shows Carrier Vessels Loitering in Waters off West Africa

Transshipment Portal Shows Carrier Vessels Loitering in Waters off West Africa

Data and technology, News & Views / By

Tracking refrigerated cargo ships, commonly called reefers, can help address illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea Transshipment, or the transfer of fish from one vessel to another, is a vital part of the global commercial fishing industry. It touches a wide variety of seafood products, from bigeye and skipjack tuna all the way to

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Mediterranean Sea International Space Station Italy Europe Preview

Spotting Transshipment with an Ocean of AIS Data

Data and technology, News & Views / By

Find out how Global Fishing Watch’s carrier vessel portal promotes ocean sustainability by tracking transshipment with the help of AIS data This article was produced and first published by our data partner, Spire Global. Global Fishing Watch created a new tool using Spire Global’s AIS data to shine a light on transshipment—a critical process of high seas

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Celebrating 25 Years of Collaboration for Responsible Fisheries

Life Below Water: Celebrating 25 Years of Collaboration for Responsible Fisheries

Fisheries, News & Views, Policy & Compliance / By

Innovative use of data and technology can support the implementation of historic, flagship policies October 2020 brings the 25th anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Code aims to “strengthen international legal frameworks for more effective conservation, management

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Asiatic squid vessels

Follow the Lights: Squid Fishing in the Southeast Pacific Ocean

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Credit: Simon Ager Satellite technology illuminates foreign and domestic vessels in search of one of Peru’s most valuable catches Asiatic squid vessels are constructed from marine steel, usually weigh between 800-1000 gross tons, and are outfitted with automated jiggers that use up to 150 incandescent lamps to attract squid to the surface. Credit: Simon Ager

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