Washington, June 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Today, Oceana launched a new tool which tracks illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) vessels. Using data from Global Fishing Watch *, Oceana Monitoring of IUU vessels** displays the movements of vessels currently listed IUU *** by regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs). The Norwegian-based nonprofit Trygg Mat Tracking is actively compiling RFMO lists on the Combined List of IUU Vessels, providing up-to-date information on IUU vessels. Currently 168 vessels are listed in 12 management organizations that oversee deep sea fishing. Oceana Monitoring of IUU vessels currently only displays two vessels broadcasting their positions using their automatic identification devices (AIS), so governments should require fishing vessels to continuously broadcast their AIS signals to increase the transparency and accountability at sea. The map shows apparent fishing † and transit activities of vessels over a period of one month.

“Monitoring of IUU vessels places IUU listed vessels on a map so that anyone in the world can follow their activities in near real time. These ships are now warned – we are watching them. To increase the number of vessels visible on this map, governments should impose AIS on all fishing vessels so that they can be monitored and held accountable for their actions at sea, ”said Assistant Vice President Beth Lowell Oceana for the American campaigns. “The transparency of fishing is a game-changer in the fight against IUU fishing, which plunders our oceans, stealing fish in the nets of legal fishermen. The United States must embrace transparency at home so that we can demand transparency from fishing vessels operating around the world. “

Background

IUU fishing is one of the greatest threats to the oceans. The International Trade Commission found that the United States imported $ 2.4 billion in seafood derived from IUU fishing in 2019. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, failure to comply with fishing limits. capture, operations in closed areas and fishing with prohibited gear or for prohibited fish or wildlife. These illicit activities are often destructive of critical habitat, severely deplete fish populations and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing, but also give illegal fishermen an unfair advantage over those who play by the rules. It undermines the responsible management of commercial fishing and the conservation of the oceans. It exploits the natural resources of coastal nations, reduces economic opportunities and threatens food security. Forced labor and human rights violations are also commonly associated with IUU fishing. IUU fishing is a low-risk and high-profit activity, particularly on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allow it to thrive.

If widely adopted and required, existing and easily implemented technologies, such as AIS, would improve transparency in commercial fishing. An AIS is a device that automatically broadcasts information about the identity and location of the vessel (for example, coordinates, speed and direction) as frequently as once every few seconds. Many large vessels, including tankers, transport vessels, and industrial fishing vessels, rely on AIS data to safely navigate the ocean. The availability of AIS data allows governments, non-governmental organizations, researchers and the public to monitor AIS data for irregularities, trends and potential illegal behavior. Demanding more transparency in fishing can help lift the veil of secrecy on the high seas.

RFMOs are made up of member countries that jointly manage certain high seas fisheries. RFMOs can set catch limits, authorize vessels to fish and formally sanction vessels for IUU fishing activities. If a vessel breaks the rules of an RFMO, the vessel may be placed on its “List of IUU Vessels” and the repercussions of its “list” are up to the RFMO. Usually, member countries cannot provide any assistance or services to this listed vessel, such as port access or refueling. Vessels can sometimes be ‘crossed’ under different RFMOs, which means that a vessel may be placed on the IUU vessel list of one RFMO due to IUU activities in another RFMO. RFMOs conduct annual compliance reviews of their IUU vessel lists, but unless effective action is taken in response to IUU fishing activities that led to the listing or change of ownership, vessels may remain listed. indefinitely.

About Oceana Monitoring of IUU vessels

Oceana Monitoring of IUU vessels allows users to monitor vessels currently listed by RFMOs due to their involvement in IUU fishing. The tool uses data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) from Global Fishing Watch, an independent non-profit organization founded by Oceana in partnership with Google and SkyTruth, displaying the names, locations and fishing activities of vessels †.

To access Oceana Monitoring of IUU vessels, please visit usa.oceana.org/IUUVesselTracker.

To learn more about Oceana’s campaign to end illegal fishing and increase transparency at sea, please Click here.

* Global Fishing Watch, an open data provider to be used in this project, is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency of human activity at sea. views and opinions expressed in this project are those of the authors, which are not related or sponsored, endorsed or granted official status by Global Fishing Watch. By creating and publicly sharing map visualizations, data and analysis tools, Global Fishing Watch aims to enable scientific research and transform the way our ocean is managed.

**Monitoring of IUU vessels uses vessel information in the Global Fishing Watch database. This information is transmitted by a vessel’s Automatic Identification System (AIS), which is collected via satellites and terrestrial receivers. Defective AIS devices, user error, intentional manipulation, overcrowded areas, poor satellite reception and transmission faults are factors that contribute to noise and errors in AIS data, and sometimes these inaccuracies can occur. reflect in the location of a ship. Vessel operators may accidentally or intentionally enter false information into their vessel’s AIS, thereby concealing their identity or location. In crowded areas, such as ports, the massive number of radio transmissions can crowd the bandwidth of satellite and terrestrial receivers, also leading to inaccuracies. For these reasons, use Monitoring of IUU vessels information at your own risk.

*** Monitoring of IUU vessels uses data from Trygg Carpet TrackingCombined List of IUU Vessels (www.iuu-vessels.org), which provides the best available and up-to-date information on all fishing vessels on the IUU vessel lists. This source is compiled from IUU lists of RFMOs, online vessel databases, national fisheries authorities and Interpol. Oceana takes measures such as cross-referencing RFMO lists to ensure that the designations are as accurate as possible. Due to the timing of listing and delisting decisions by RFMOs, vessels that have been cross-listed may remain on the cross-listed RFMO despite their deletion from the original listed RFMO. For these reasons, all information on vessels on the IUU list should be considered to reflect current RFMO listings and should be used at your own risk.

Any reference to “fishing” should be understood in the context of Global Fishing Watch’s fishing detection algorithm, which is a better effort to determine “apparent fishing effort” based on speed and speed data. Automatic identification system (AIS) vessel direction collected via satellites and terrestrial receivers. As AIS data vary in completeness, accuracy and quality, it is possible that some fishing effort is not identified and, conversely, some identified fishing effort is not fishing. . For these reasons, Global Fishing Watch qualifies all vessel fishing effort designations, including synonyms for the term “fishing effort”, such as “fishing” or “fishing activity”, as “apparent” rather than certain. . Any / all information from Global Fishing Watch on “apparent fishing effort” should be considered an estimate and should be used at your own risk. Global Fishing Watch takes steps to ensure that fishing effort designations are as accurate as possible.

Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiversity-rich oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world’s wild fish catch. With over 225 victories that end overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution and the slaughter of endangered species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are paying off. A restored ocean means that one billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit United States.Oceana.org to learn more.