Saving Seafood

Global Fishing Watch opens doors on new MPA management portal, transshipment data

May 27, 2021 — Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the sustainability of our ocean through increased transparency of human activity at sea, is seeking to improve science-based management of marine protected areas with a new digital tool aiming to “revolutionize [the] ability to dynamically monitor and conserve marine ecosystems.”

On 27 May, it formally launched its Global Fishing Watch Marine Manager, a technology portal that will allow regulatory authorities and researchers to monitor vessels involved in commercial fishing and other activities, such as vessels involved in tourism, oil drilling, and shipping. Vessel information can be overlaid with other datasets in the portal, including environmental such as salinity and sea surface temperatures, according to Global Fishing Watch CEO Tony Long.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

FAO Committee on Fisheries members urged to adopt global transshipment guidelines by 2022

February 10, 2021 — At this month’s meeting of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Committee on Fisheries (COFI), members were urged by sustainability-focused nonprofits to develop global transshipment guidelines, targeting adoption as early as 2022.

The Pew Charitable Trusts Senior Officer for International Fisheries Dawn Borg Constanzi told SeafoodSource she is hopeful the meeting will lead to the development of transshipment guidelines, which will include effective monitoring measures, universal authorization requirements, and information-sharing procedures.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Global Fishing Watch launches transshipment portal, gets agreement with Costa Rica

July 30, 2020 — Global Fishing Watch has launched a public web portal to track the activity of at-sea transshipment, and has also signed an agreement with the government of Costa Rica to give it access to its vessel-tracking data.

Global Fishing Watch is a partnership between Google and the advocacy groups Oceana and SkyTruth founded in 2015. The new portal, hosted on Global Fishing Watch’s platform, aims to reveal the breadth of transshipment activity worldwide, with the goal of raising awareness among fish suppliers and consumers of the commonality of transshipment and improve transparency. The Pew Charitable Trusts contributed to the development of the portal to guide its effectiveness and application, according to Global Fishing Watch CEO Tony Long.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Call for Pacific regional fisheries committee to ban trans-shipping

September 25, 2019 — American researchers are calling for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Committee to ban trans-shipping.

The Pew Charitable Trust said tens of millions of dollars each year was lost to the practice of offloading catch before it reached its final destination.

A 2016 survey found that dozens of vessels were likely carrying out unauthorized trans-shipment in the Pacific.

Read the full story at Samoa News

Tuna Transshipment Management Compromised

September 16, 2019 — The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC’s) management of transshipments in its waters is compromised by significant gaps in reporting, monitoring and data sharing, according to a report released by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Transshipment is the transfer of fish from the vessel that caught the fish to a carrier vessel that will deliver the fish to port, an activity that often takes place on the high seas and outside the view and reach of authorities. The practice allows unscrupulous fishing vessel operators to obscure or falsify data on their fishing practices. This contributes to millions of dollars of illegally caught fish entering the seafood supply chain each year.

The Pew Charitable Trusts combined commercially available Automatic Identification System data with the application of machine learning technology to analyze the track histories of carrier vessels operating in WCPFC convention area waters in 2016. Researchers then compared this analysis with publicly available information on transshipments and carrier vessels.

Read the full story at The Marine Executive

Peru Commits to Make National Vessel Tracking Data Publicly Available

June 9, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Peruvian government made a commitment to make its national vessel tracking data publicly available through Global Fishing Watch, which provides the first global view of commercial fishing activity.

The commitment was announced at The Ocean Conference hosted by the United Nations in New York City and is the result of Oceana’s collaboration with the Peruvian government to increase transparency of commercial fishing in Peru’s waters.

“Peru has committed to join Global Fishing Watch as a demonstration of transparency,” said Héctor Soldi, Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Peru’s Ministry of Production. “This technology platform, based on satellite data from fishing vessels to create a global vision of commercial fishing, enables anyone to follow fishing activity anywhere on the oceans. This is another demonstration of the Peruvian government’s commitment to fight illegal activities at sea and promote the sustainable use of the extraordinary marine productivity on our coastline. The Peruvian government intends to make the utmost effort to achieve the sustainable management of our fisheries in order to increase its contribution to nutrition and global food security.”

Global Fishing Watch uses public broadcast data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), collected by satellite and terrestrial receivers, to show the movement of vessels over time. Global Fishing Watch uses this information to track vessel movement and classify it as “fishing” or “non-fishing” activity. While AIS is required for the largest vessels that catch a disproportionately large amount of fish, adding Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data, which is required by some governments, to the Global Fishing Watch platform will provide the world with an even clearer view of fishing activity on our oceans. Together, AIS and VMS data offer the most accurate and comprehensive dataset. The announcement today will improve the information available to governments, fishery managers, seafood suppliers and buyers, journalists, researchers, nonprofit organizations and citizens around the world.

“Oceana has worked closely with the Peruvian government to convey the importance of transparency on our oceans, especially with regard to fishing activities,” said Patricia Majluf, Vice President of Oceana Peru. “Everyone should have access to the most comprehensive data available to best manage our fisheries and protect our ocean resources. Combined with Peru’s vessel tracking data, Global Fishing Watch will offer an invaluable depiction of what is happening in our waters. This is a huge step for Peru to emerge as a world leader in promoting transparency at sea.”

Funding partners for Global Fishing Watch include the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Wyss Foundation, The Waterloo Foundation and Adessium Foundation. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Wyss Foundation are also funders of Oceana’s work in Peru.

“Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation supports efforts to restore balance to marine ecosystems across the globe,” said Justin Winters, Executive Director of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. “There are far too many areas of our oceans on the brink of total collapse because of illegal and overfishing activity. In order to implement solutions that protect these vulnerable habitats and marine life, the global community needs to see what is actually happening beyond the horizon. International leaders should follow the leads of Indonesia and Peru to prioritize transparency at sea.”

“We applaud the commitments by Peru and Indonesia to release their previously private vessel tracking data and encourage other countries to follow their lead,” said Jacqueline Savitz, Vice President for the United States and Global Fishing Watch at Oceana. “Together, with forward-thinking governments like these, we can bring greater transparency to the oceans. By publishing fishing data, governments and citizens can unite to help combat illegal fishing worldwide. With more eyes on the ocean, there are fewer places for illegal fishers to hide.”

“Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative supports a groundbreaking approach to reform both local and industrial fishing simultaneously. Our approach relies on and leverages transparency and accountability on the international, national and local levels,” said Antha Williams, Head of Environmental Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “These announcements from two of the world’s largest fishing nations are a significant, encouraging step. We hope that other countries will follow their lead.”

“Around the world, we are seeing how countries that implement science-based policies are restoring the productivity of their fisheries and bringing life back to the seas,” said Molly McUsic, president of the Wyss Foundation. “These commitments from Peru and Indonesia are milestones in the global movement toward healthier oceans. These commitments will improve transparency, enable better management and decision-making, and yield economic and environmental benefits.”

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Even in faraway US, Indonesian seafood enforcer wins acclaim

May 15, 2017 — A high school dropout turned seafood entrepreneur is leading Indonesia’s crackdown on illegal fishing, winning plaudits from conservationists and awards as far away as Washington despite her explosive methods.

A favorite tactic is seizing foreign fishing vessels and then blowing up the empty boats into smithereens to send a message to her country’s neighbors.

Susi Pudjiastuti, honored this week in Washington for her ecological work, has led the charge in destroying hundreds of fishing vessels in the past two years as the Indonesian government’s minister for maritime affairs and fisheries. Her efforts haven’t eliminated a problem that has plagued the archipelago nation for decades, she said, but they have boosted fish stocks and curbed smuggling.

Catches of anchovies, king prawns and yellow fin tuna are up, helping local fishermen and reducing food prices, Pudjiastuti said.

“What we actually earn also is respect,” Pudjiastuti said in the American capital, where she joined other recipients of the annual Peter Benchley Ocean Awards — named for the author of “Jaws.” She was cited for her efforts in protecting Indonesia’s marine ecosystem, and tackling poachers and organized crime.

“They cannot just do anything anymore,” Pudjiastuti added. Whereas 10,000 foreign vessels used to fish in Indonesian waters “like in their own country,” she said the new reality was clear: “Not anymore.”

For China and others in the region, sensitive politics also are at play. Indonesia’s uncompromising approach has irked neighbors whose boats have been caught up in the dragnet for operating in seas plagued by territorial disputes. The campaign may partly reflect Indonesia’s desire to show it is in control of its vast territory of 17,000 islands.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New York Times

To help stop illegal fishing, ban practice of transshipment on high seas, researchers say

May 2, 2017 — New research concludes that a total ban on the practice of transshipment on the high seas is necessary to help stop illegal fishing and reduce the human trafficking and labor rights abuses that often accompany unlawful fishing activities.

“Transshipping enables fishing vessels to remain at sea for extended periods of time,” Washington D.C.-based oceans conservancy NGO Oceana explains. “Fishing vessels and refrigerated cargo vessels rendezvous at sea in order to transfer seafood, fuel or supplies. While this transshipping practice can be legal in many cases, it also can facilitate the laundering of illegally caught fish, especially on the high seas and in waters surrounding developing and small island nations with insufficient resources to police their waters.”

As detailed in a report released last month, Oceana found that close to 40 percent of suspected instances of transshipping occur on the high seas — areas outside of any national jurisdiction, which make up about two-thirds of Earth’s oceans. Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk, the high-seas regions of the Barents Sea, the national waters of Guinea-Bissau, and just outside the national waters of Argentina and Peru are reportedly the world’s chief transshipping hotspots.

Oceana’s report was based on an analysis of data collected by West Virginia-based environmental monitoring NGO SkyTruth and Global Fishing Watch, a partnership between Google, Oceana, and SkyTruth, which documented more than 5,000 “likely” cases of illegal transshipment and over 86,000 “potential” cases between 2012 and 2016.

In a paper published in the journal Marine Policy last month, a team of researchers make the case that a global ban on the practice of transshipment on the high seas is necessary in order to curb illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the global fishing industry.

“This practice often occurs on the high seas and beyond the reach of any nation’s jurisdiction, allowing ships fishing illegally to evade most monitoring and enforcement measures, offload their cargo, and resume fishing without returning to port,” Jennifer Jacquet, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University (NYU) and a co-author of the paper, said in a statement.

Read the full story at Mongabay.com