Global Satellite Map Will Help Hunt Down Illegal Fishing Vessels

 

A new global satellite map will allow law enforcement officials to track incognito fishing vessels. The tool will allow viewers to zoom in and see the activities of these vessels anywhere in the world. While this map does not mean a vessel is illegal, it could help law enforcement coordinate efforts against illegal fishing. The map will also help law enforcement know where to patrol to catch illegal fishing vessels. So, what's next?

Global Fishing Watch

A new global satellite map will be able to identify the location of incognito fishing vessels, allowing officials to monitor and take action against them. The map will also give law enforcement an overview of where to patrol to combat illegal fishing. Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving ocean governance and transparency, has developed the tool. Its mission is to improve human activities at sea and help countries prevent and reduce illegal fishing.

The technology behind the new global satellite map will help governments fight illegal fishing by revealing where a vessel has fished and for how long. Global Fishing Watch is an organization that uses satellite data to monitor global fishing vessels. Until now, analysts would monitor a few fishing vessels in limited regions - and they simply did not have the time. Today, though, more than 200,000 fishing vessels broadcast their locations using Automatic Identification System (AIS), which allows dozens of satellites to collect the information over the open ocean.

Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine models

Google has developed a new platform to track illegal fishing vessels using satellite data. The platform uses Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine models to learn the behavior of vessels using training data tracks. The data tracks are classified by humans and then fed to the machine. The machine uses these data tracks to classify a vessel, determine its type and flag, and identify areas where illegal fishing activity takes place. The new system can estimate the amount of fish being caught worldwide and detect illegal fishing vessels.

Global Fishing Watch is a nonprofit organization funded by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation that uses satellite technology to monitor ecological threats. The nonprofits Oceana and SkyTruth are also involved. These nonprofits work with Google to help combat illegal fishing activities. The project's mission is to monitor fishing activity in the world's waters and help stop it. This technology allows anyone with a computer and an internet connection to search the global satellite map.

XView3 challenge to identify and classify IUU fishing vessels

The United States Department of Defense has launched a cooperative project with Global Fishing Watch (GFW) to develop innovative tools to detect IUU fishing vessels. The xView3 Challenge will award $150,000 to whoever comes up with the best algorithm to classify and identify suspected IUU fishing vessels. This competition is unique in that it involves the use of satellite imagery to identify suspected IUU fishing vessels.

The competition has two tracks: an open source track and a closed source track. Winners will receive a total of $150,000 in prizes. Regardless of their technology or software, competitors can enter either track, as long as the algorithms they use are free to download and use. Participants must be U.S.-based and must be capable of analyzing a wide range of satellite imagery.

Impact of IUU fishing on fisheries

IUU fishing is a global problem, affecting both the high seas and the exclusive economic zones of countries. IUU fishing is the illegal capture of fish that cannot be legally caught by fishermen. Excess capacity has resulted from subsidies for vessel owners and a lack of political will to cut back domestic fishing fleets. As a result, there are too many boats catching too little fish. The overcapacity affects fisheries in third countries and coastal areas.

IUU fishing experts have found that certain companies and individuals are involved in illegal fishing. This is partly because certain jurisdictions provide protection to vessel owners and operators. However, many offenders remain unpunished, because they are operating under shell entities. These shell entities have no physical offices, and therefore no identifiable owners. As a result, many high-profile IUU arrests have been unsuccessful in tracing the real owners of the vessels.

Efforts to eliminate IUU fishing

The use of a Global satellite map can detect the presence of illegal fishing vessels and track them down. This new technology could help authorities identify the ports that illegal fishing vessels frequent. Ports that land illegally caught fish in other regions have no consequences and are thus a good place for illegal transshipment. In the case of Spanish trawlers, for example, it is clear that even European Union (EU) fishermen are tempted by lucrative profits.

The aim of the new system is to help law enforcement agencies track down IUU fishing vessels. The RFMO blacklist lists the names of vessels that land IUU fish. Port authorities regularly refer to these lists to prevent IUU fishing vessels from entering a port. This "name and shame" policy is meant to make it more difficult for illegal fishing vessels to find ports. Ultimately, it will be up to states to cooperate in the fight against IUU fishing.