Inside the mission to track global fishing | BBC News

Global Fishing Watch is a nonprofit organization that has spent over a decade using advanced technology to monitor ocean activity and combat issues like illegal fishing, sanction breaking, and human rights abuses at sea. The organization tracks vessels using AIS (Automatic Identification System) data collected from satellites, then applies machine learning and artificial intelligence models to determine vessel locations, fishing activities, and gear types. This information is made publicly available through high-resolution maps that support governments and enforcement agencies. Many vessels attempt to evade detection by turning off their transponders or broadcasting false locations, particularly oil tankers carrying sanctioned oil. The organization has documented significant cases, including Chinese squid fleets fishing near the Galápagos Islands' protected waters in 2020, which showed dramatic behavioral improvements from 2021 onward. Their vessel tracking capabilities can identify individual ships and detect encounters between vessels that may indicate crew or fish exchanges, which correlates with risks of poor working conditions and forced labor. While their AI models provide detailed location and activity data, human analysts must determine the legality of actions. The organization has achieved notable enforcement successes, including cases where they identified vessels fishing before authorized seasons, leading to sanctions and subsequent perfect compliance the following year.