Saving Seafood

VMI data used to study marine heatwaves may also monitor ecosystem health

January 15, 2026 — Researchers studying ecosystem dynamics in Pacific albacore and bluefin tuna documented by movement of fishing fleets during heat waves say the data can also be used to understand ecosystem health.

“Fishermen are increasingly recognized as top predators and have many of the qualities of effective ecosystem sentinel, ” said Heather Welch, an associate project scientist at the University of California Santa Cruz, who led the study. These fleets serve as apex predators, effectively locating their prey.

The study summary discusses the ecological impact of Northeast Pacific marine heatwaves between 2010 and 2024 primarily off Oregon and Washington, mainly within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, but also on the high seas. The study examined one million satellite-based locations of 600 U.S. fishing vessels to determine whether such predator geolocation data could help assess the ecological impact of Northeast Pacific marine heatwaves during that period.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Study tracks fishing boats to see how heat waves affect fish distribution

January 14, 2026 — Marine heat waves have become longer and more frequent along the U.S. West Coast, as elsewhere in the world. But heating doesn’t always lead fish to change their location. A new study suggests a better way to tell if such ecological shifts are happening: Use fishing vessel tracking data.

The study, published Dec. 22, 2025, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that tracking data could provide early detection of extreme northward and inshore shifts in albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and Pacific bluefin tuna (T. orientalis) distribution in response to heat waves. The data also showed when such shifts weren’t happening, despite high sea surface temperatures. Related data also showed when there was low albacore availability for fishing.

The study indicates that tracking data can in some cases be used as an early-warning signal for ecological change in the ocean, the authors suggest.

“We have so much data on fishing vessel activity,” study lead author Heather Welch, a marine spatial ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said in a statement. “These data are traditionally used for surveillance, and it is exciting that they may also be useful for understanding ecosystem health.”

Read the full article at Mongabay