Global Fishing Watch & Detection of Illegal Fishing Activity

Historically, fishing activity at sea and beyond the horizon has been poorly monitored. This poor monitoring, combined with patchy regulation and little enforcement, has allowed illegal and unreported fishing to reach... [ view full abstract ]

Historically, fishing activity at sea and beyond the horizon has been poorly monitored. This poor monitoring, combined with patchy regulation and little enforcement, has allowed illegal and unreported fishing to reach significant levels where best estimates suggest that 1 in 5 fish could be caught illegally. This places the sustainability of our ocean at risk. Thanks to recent advances in machine learning, computing power, and satellite technology, Global Fishing Watch, an independent non-profit organization, is bringing an unprecedented level of transparency to global fishing activity and, with our research partners, new and informative research. The vast quantity of data, collected by a growing satellite constellation, can be quickly analyzed to turn AIS and VMS signals transmitted from vessels at sea into global fishing activity data in near real-time. Global Fishing Watch strives to bring sustainability to the fishing industry through increased transparency in fishing on a global scale, and in unparalleled detail. Through three case studies, we will demonstrate the power of this technology to illuminate illegal activity at sea. We will discuss how we were able to identify illegal fishing within a no-take Marine Protected Area and transshipment activity that allowed a vessel to illegally carry thousands of sharks and shark fins. In addition, we will highlight our current work on detecting human rights violations at sea. Through these and similar cases, we are identifying patterns to help detect suspicious activity, strengthen transparency, and advance responsible fisheries management.