Latest release of online tool will help more people monitor and manage greater expanses of the seas In our brief but exciting history working to shed greater visibility on what’s happening on the ocean, we’ve learned that one must meet challenges with the tools at hand, even while working to perfect them. So in 2021, […]
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
2020 Hindsight: How a New Wave of Transparency Can Lead to Better Ocean Governance Read More »
A team of scientists investigate benefits of large marine protected areas Standing at sea level, looking out at the ocean, you can only see about three miles (5 km) from shore. The largest marine protected areas (MPAs), which restrict fishing for conservation or fisheries benefits, span up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from shore.
Study Uses Satellite Technology to Reveal How Fisheries Respond to Marine Protection Read More »
Paul Woods, chief innovation officer with Global Fishing Watch and Mogens L. Mathiesen, SVP, head of strategy and partnerships with the Ocean Data Foundation share their ambition on Earth Day (April 22) for a new partnership to harness the current explosion in new data and technology for better management of the ocean. In
New Partnership Aims to Build a Better Understanding of the Ocean Read More »
Once again, Chile shows it is serious about ocean protection. Putting its fishing vessel tracking data on Global Fishing Watch’s public platform will help to build more transparent and sustainable fisheries The May 2019 United Nations report warning of unprecedented rates of extinction of marine life is a wake-up call for the planet. The biggest
Chile Shows Global Leadership On Fisheries Transparency Read More »
To conserve or not to conserve Protecting large portions of our oceans from extractive activities can provide enormous benefits to society: food provisioning, carbon storage and sequestration, tourism, storm attenuation and coastline stabilization are only a few of them. So, why do Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) cover only 4.8% of the ocean today? When it
The Rewards of Large-Scale Marine Protection Read More »
Commercial fishing is an important revenue source for Argentina, and the industry’s interests are strong, but the government is committed to protecting at least 10 percent of its territorial waters by 2020. Although reconciling the need for Marine Protected Areas with the economic interests of the fishing industry can be challenging, Global Fishing Watch has
Making the Case for Argentine MPAs Read More »
Sam Weber worked previously for the Ascension Island Government and is currently at the University of Exeter helping to establish the largest Marine Protected Area in the Atlantic around Ascension Island.
Understanding Fishing Activity Around Ascension Island Read More »
John Marrone is a Tasmanian citizen and recreational fisherman who monitors local Marine Protected Areas via Global Fishing Watch. John Marrone, a Tasmanian recreational fisherman, first became interested in Global Fishing Watch after watching a clip of funder Leonardo DiCaprio on a local news network. Upon hearing DiCaprio speak about Global Fishing Watch, Marrone was
Citizen MPA Monitoring Via Global Fishing Watch Read More »
Brad Sewell, director of Fisheries and the U.S. Atlantic Program at the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC) used Global Fishing Watch to help protect the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument by showing that not all vessels opposing the monument relied on it for fishing grounds. A new lawsuit threatens protection for the area,
Octavio Aburto of Scripps Institution of Oceanography (left) and his colleagues, Juan Mayorga of UC Santa Barbara and Enric Sala of Pristine Seas are using Global Fishing Watch to understand the economic impacts of establishing a new Marine Protected Area in Mexican waters. [UPDATE: On October 5, 2017, the Mexican government announced its intent to expand the Revillagigedo marine park into
In 2016, 33 countries agreed to establish a global network of scientifically supported Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that will increase the amount of ocean area protected from the current 2 percent to 10 percent by the year 2020. MPAs either restrict human activity such as fishing, or they prohibit it all together. But the question
A New View of Marine Protected Areas Read More »
After our recent post Deciphering Suspicious Behavior: It’s not always what it seems, we thought it would be insightful to post a few examples of vessel behavior that looked suspect, but turned out to be easily explained on closer inspection. Often, a look at the other vessels in the area can help explain what’s going
Fishing in a Marine Park? Look Again. Read More »
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are among the best tools we have for conserving biodiversity in the oceans, protecting vulnerable marine life, and providing places of refuge for fish stocks. But do they work? Can vast areas of ocean really be regulated? And if so, what management strategies are most effective?
MPA Survey Hints at Complexity of Marine Conservation Read More »
