Google along with partners Oceana and SkyTruth has developed a space surveillance system called Global Fishing Watch. It will be publicly unveiled at the US State Department on Thursday. It is designed to address the extensive illegal and unreported fishing.
How Does Global Fishing Watch Work?
The Global Fishing Watch is actually satellite-based, according to the Chicago Tribune. It has been developed for two years. It uses public broadcast data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS). AIS determines the types of ships in any given area. The kind of fishing gear being used will be identified.
A satellite and land-based receiver will track the movement of ships.
However, some fishing vessels intentionally switch off their trackers. Thus, posing a problem to this new technology. But some countries have quite solved the issue. They require vessels to use the locator system.
It allows users to access information on a vessel's whereabouts. Oceana's Vice President Jacqueline Savitz mentioned that they will be able to know who is fishing where. It will also revolutionize how commercial fishing is viewed.
The Global Fishing Watch can also help to avoid collisions among vessels.
The Fight Against Illegal Fishing
Illegal fishing is not easy to monitor. The world's oceans are too vast. Not to mention that some countries have limited resources. As such, fishermen often get away with it.
But Global Fishing will provide constant surveillance. It will be able to trace 35,000 commercial fishing vessels in real time. This is according to the International Business Times. Savitz also added that there will be a better enforcement of fishing restrictions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that a third of the world's fisheries are overfished. The demand for fish might be hard to sustain. He added that half the world's population need protein from the ocean to survive.
It really benefits the government. It will also help the journalists, the public, officials and insurance companies. The Global Fishing Watch can determine suspicious fishing activities and insured vessels. It could be used to ensure the protection of marine areas.
