Industrial fishing vessels are the workhorses of the global seafood supply chain, but lurking beneath the surface is a hidden fleet of so-called dark vessels that operate outside the bounds of legality. These ships, often involved in illegal fishing, human trafficking, and other nefarious activities, evade detection by disabling their tracking systems. This shadowy underbelly of maritime operations not only threatens marine conservation but also jeopardizes food security and complicates international law enforcement efforts.
A groundbreaking study by researchers from Global Fishing Watch shines a much-needed light on these clandestine activities using advanced satellite technology and artificial intelligence. Their findings reveal a staggering reality: between 72% to 76% of industrial fishing vessels and nearly 30% of transport and energy-related ships are untracked. This lack of transparency is particularly alarming in biodiversity-rich areas like South and Southeast Asia and the African coasts, where overexploitation and environmental degradation run rampant. The researchers noted, “Our satellite mapping revealed high densities of vessel activity in large areas of the ocean that previously showed little to no vessel activity by public tracking systems.” This stark revelation highlights the uphill battle faced by nations striving to protect their marine resources.
The implications are dire. Over one billion people rely on seafood as their primary protein source, and 260 million individuals work in global marine fisheries. The absence of robust tracking mechanisms undermines efforts to enforce marine protected areas and combat environmental crimes. The study’s combination of AI-driven analytics and satellite data is a game-changer. By analyzing an astonishing two petabytes of satellite imagery from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 constellation, researchers achieved over 97% object detection accuracy and 90% accuracy in distinguishing fishing vessels from other ships. This level of precision can revolutionize how we identify illegal fishing hotspots and monitor human rights violations at sea.
The hotspots identified in the study are alarming. Regions off Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Africa are not just hotspots for illegal fishing—they are also areas rife with human rights abuses and environmental destruction. The COVID-19 pandemic has added another layer of complexity, revealing shifts in maritime activity, where fishing decreased by 12% while energy and transport sectors remained largely unaffected. This divergence points to rising tensions and competition for ocean resources.
The study also maps the changing landscape of offshore energy. By 2021, offshore wind turbines had outnumbered oil platforms, marking a significant shift in the global energy transition. However, oil-related vessel activity still dominates, generating five times the maritime traffic of wind farms. This juxtaposition highlights the challenge of transitioning to greener energy sources while managing the environmental impact of existing infrastructure.
Emerging technologies like the Rapid Earth Monitoring Information System (REMIS) promise to revolutionize maritime surveillance. This system can track vessels in near real-time, drastically reducing the time needed to locate dark vessels. As Maris Tali, the technical officer leading the project, aptly puts it, “If we can already identify ships onboard and potentially even combine it with AI systems, we could mark dark vessels and prioritize the scenes containing ships or their locations.”
The future of ocean surveillance looks promising, but it also raises questions about accountability and governance. As we harness these technological advancements, the maritime industry must grapple with the ethical implications of surveillance and the responsibility to protect marine ecosystems. The stakes are high, and the time for action is now.